WORK AND WAGES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 156, 30 December 1911, Page 5

WORK AND WAGES.

THE MARINE ENGINEER'S STRIKE. By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedir., Last Night. The position in regard! to the engineer's dispute at Port Chalmers is practically unaltered. Meanwhile the overhaul of the Koonya is being proceeded with by the Union Company's shore staff and) the ship's engineers. It is now stated that the men claim a minimum wage of 12s per day, one shilling more than the existing award, which came into force on January 2 with a currency of two years. The Union Co. is bound, by special provisions of award relating to hours of work, overtime, wages, etc. These provisions embody an agreement made with the Union's representatives in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin. The Arbitration Court was not responsible for them.

SLAUGHTER HANDS' DEMANDS. Wellington, Last Night. This morning at 9 o'eloek the offal hands at the Gear Meat Works, Pctone, sent a demand to their manager for an increase of threepence per hour in their pay, and intimated that they would cease work at once if a favorable reply was not at once given. At 9.30, their demands not having been complied with, they went out. During the afternoon negotiations were entered into with the directors and a settlement arrived at. The men resume to-morrow morning. The trouble arose over the contract system and the inequality of pay. The contract system lias been abolished, and the money will be equally distributed among the men, with a foreman to direct operations.

The strike at Petone was precipitated by the offal hands at the Wellington Meat Company's works at Ngahauranga going out on the previous evening, their grievances being identical with the Petone men's. They, however, were not so successful, and returned to work today under the old conditions. Several of their number were refused reinstatement. There is no union among the offal hands at either place. Mr. Corner, manager of the slaughtering department of the Gear Company, states that he knows of no rea.son for the alleged discontent, as the men at both places received higher pay than those of any other freezing works in the Dominion^

THE WELLINGTON FERRIES COMPANY. Wellington, Last Night. Eleven employees of the Harbor Ferries Company, accompanied by Mr. Farland, secretary of the Waterside Workers' Union, met some of the directors of the company to-night with regard to the increased wages the men are claiming. Mr. Mabin, chairman of the company, pointed out that the men were now working under an award, and that they and the company were equally liable to penalties for breach of that award. The men had asked, at a day's notice, for increases in wages involving the company in £llOO annually. The directors were unable to hold a full meeting of the Board, two members representing large interests in the company being absent from Wellington. The directors asked for fourteen days' notice as provided for under the award, and were prepared to undertake that any alteration in wages that might agreed upon should date from January 1. The directors, however, were determined not to give way at the point of the pistol. If the men created a breach of the award and walked off the ships to-morrow, the responsibility should be on the men and not on the directors. The increased wages demanded would mean increased fares on tie company's boats or suspension of the company's operations. Mr. Farland said that unless the directors were prepared to increase the wages there was no use the men waiting any longer. Mr, Farland and the men then walked out of the room.