CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1918, Page 2

CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

GENERAL LABORERS' DISPUTE SETTLED. ■ The- Conciliation Council, under the presidency of Mr. T. Harle Giles, opened a sitting at the ' Courthouse, New Plymouth, yesterday, and dealt with the New Plymouth General Laborers' dispute. The assessors were as follow:—'For the employers, .Messrs W. F. Brooking, A. Boon, and R. L." Parkin; for the union, Messrs C l . Ford and ACathro. An agreement was arrived at on all the point? at issue. The hours of work, overtime, holidays, youths, suburban and country work, tools, under-rate workers, payment of wages, references and scope of the award remain as in tlio old award. Rates of wages were agreed upon as f6llows:—Laborers engaged on 'actual construction and scaffolds shall, for the time they are occupied on such work, be paid not leas than Is 4d per hour; I laborers assisting in the erection or demolition of scaffolds or buildings shall ho paid not less than Is lid per hour; in tunnel work, tiuvnelmen and timbermen shall he paid not less than Is fid per hour (tunnel work meaning any underground excavation that Is over a chain in length or that requires timbering overhead); all workers employed in or about any quarry. Is 3d per hour: general laborers working underground or employed at concrete work, pick and shovel work, sower work, kerbing and channelling, laying and cleaning drains, and asphalt and tar work, Is 3d per hour; outside timocrmen. and workers in wet places shall be paid ljd per hour extra (wet places meaning a place where a worker is standing in not less than two inches of water or where water other than rain is dripping upon him) j laborers employed on work not hereinbefore mentioned shall'fie paid not less than Is 3d per Tiour. ! So long as tho British Empire remains in a state of war with Germany and Austria, or either of them, and for three months after the cessation of such war, there shall be paid to all workers coming within tiio scope of this award, in addition to the rates mentioned above, a war bonus of 10 per cent, upon these rates. Notwithstanding the foregoing clause the war bomis may at any time during the currency of the' award be continued either wholly or pai dally or may bo increased or terminated, us the Court, on the application of any party to the award, or of its own .motion, may determine. In tho event of the Arbitration Court increasing tho war bonus during the currency of the existing Wellington Industrial District (except tho Wellington 20-mile radius, and the 10-milo radii of Napier, Hastings, and Wanganui) Builders' and General Laborers' awaTfl. this increase shall aimlv to the New Plymouth General Laborers' award from the same date as it comes into operation in the Wellington district. The term of the award is a period of two years, from October 1, 101 S. By mutual consent, tho Parana's County Council and the Taranak-i Producers' Freezing Company Were struck out from tho list of parties cited. On the motion of Mr. Brooking (for the employers), seegnded by Mr. Ford (for the union), a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to tho Commissioner for | the assistance he had rendered in bringing about iv settlement of tho dispute. The council will next sit on Friday to deal with the New Plymouth Timberyards and Sawmill Employees' dispute.