WAGES' OF GENERAL LABORERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 December 1920, Page 7

WAGES' OF GENERAL LABORERS.

'APPLICATION FOR NEW AWARD. SITTING OP CONCILIATION COUNCIL. The Wages paid to general laborers were relieved at a e-ittirg- of the Corciliatiort Council in Now Plymouth yesterday, when the amplication of the New Plymouth General Laborers' ''■■■■ dustrial Union for a new award. ■>.■.': the employers' counter proposals, wore considered. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr T. Harle Giles) presided, and the assessors were .----Employers: Messrs. F. T. Bellringer, A. Boon 'and P. Whittaker. Union: Messrs. F. J. Lyons, G. Jones, and A. S. Lightband: In opening proceedings, the Commissioner reviewed the particulars of the dispute. He said he did not see any reason why an amicable settlement should not be come to, or that thev should have to let the matter go before the Arbitration Court. If a body of men, actually interested in a dispute. could not come to terms at a conference it was a very extraordinary position. HOURS OF WORK. The Union's application was for a. forty-four hours' week, of eight hours for the first five days, and four hours on Saturday; work to start not earlier than 8 a.m. a>nd cease at 5 p.m. In cases of men working in wet (standing i;i more than two indies of water) six hours was set down as a day's work. The demand in connection wit'j overtime was for a rate of time sra 3, : !3 ,if for the first two hour;, and thereafter double time. The following recognised holiday;; were listed:—-N ?r"Year'q" Dav, Good Friday. Easter Monday, Labor Day' birthday of/reigning sovereign, Dominii'i; Day, Arjkp Day, Christmas and Boxing Day. For 'vork on Sunday, New Year's Day, Good Friday. Faster" Monday. Labor Day, Christmas Day, or Boxing Day double time was demanded, and in respect to th« others time and a half. The employers' counter proposal were for a IT-hcinrs' week, work daily to be between the hours of 7.30 and 5 pV... except Saturday: six hour day for men working in wet places, and 44 hour week for building laborers. The /holidays were the same as applied for hy the Union, with the exception of Ansae Day and Dominion Day, which were not included. RATES OF PAY. The following was the Union's scale: --Laborers engaged on construction and scaffolding 2.s 3d per hour: erection or demolition of scaffolding, 2s 3d per hour. The abovo to be subject to an extra bonus of 3d per hour until the Court .otherwise ordered. Genera! laborers, on concrete work, channelling, sewers, kerbing, drains, 2s per hour; tarring, asphalting, etc., 2s 6d per hour: men engaged in all classes of sanitary work, 2s 6d; sanitary tip men 2s 6d; general rubbish tip, 2s 3d; men engaged in stacking or handling boulders, 2s 6d; feeding crusher, 2s 3d.' General workers and./tar men, 2s 6d per horn;; all quarry work, timbering, 2s fid per hour; machine men, 2s 6d per hour; dredge men, 2s; men engaged in deepening harbor, 2s 6d; watchmen, night or day, 2s: pile drivers, 2s 6d; crane drivers, 2s (3d.

The rate proposed by the employers was:—

Building trades laborers, Is 8d per hour, and laborers assisting in the erection of scaffolding Is 7d per hour. General laborers: Tunnel work and timber men Is fld per hour; tunnel work to be deemed an underground excavation, or work that required overhead timbering. Timbering overhead, quarry work, ]g 7d; general laborers worthing underground, or employed at concrete work, pick and shovel men, sewers, kerbing and channelling, drains, and asphalt, Is 7d per hour; overtime to be paid at time and a half for the first three hours and thereafter double time. Double time also for w&fk on Sunday, Sew Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labor Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.

Other matters touched on by the citation were employment of youths, preference to uniomsts, and engagement of under-rate workers.

Regarding country work, an agreement was reached by the parties eariy in the proceedings adopting the extra allowance for this class of work. The allowance in previous awards was 3s 4d per dfty, but in latest decisions it is now 6s.

APPLICATIONS FOR EXEMPTION. It will be seen that the Union's list covers a wide range, and there were a large number of employers cited. A number of applications "for exemption came before the Council. The chairman of the Taranaki County Council (Mr. J. S. Connettj, in applying for exemption, pointed out that his council employed mostly permanent bands, there being at present about thirty-three men on the pay sheet. They were given eight holidays on full pay, and in addition the men who were required to work away from home were provided with accommodation and fuel. The council did not desire to be included in the award, which was not applicable to the methods of working, notably in the case of time for starting work. ' The Union opposed the application, and after considerable argument, in which the suggestion of partial exemption was not to the parties, the Commissioner decided that the County Council be struck out of the list of employers coming under the award, and that the matter of their inclusion could be argued before the Arbitration Coi'rt. On behalf of the New Plymouth Borough Council, Mr. Bellringer applied for exemption from the terms of the award, and pointed out that the Council's work and conditions wore not the same as in the case of a contractor. The council had public services to keep up. and could not be bound by many of the terms outlined. On the occasion of the last award the Council and Union had entered into a separate agreement. It was decided that the Borough Council he struck off. and that a sitting be held to arrange a special agreement between the Union and the Council. H. Pennington, brickworks proprietor, applied for exemption, but the Commissioner decided to allow the name to remain in as a party to the dispute. A similar course'was taken in the application of Duncan and Davies. nurserymen. The Taranaki Farmers' Freezing Works ComDanv was exempted, at th*

employees came under a Dominion award affecting' the industry. The New Plymouth Harbor Board applied to be struck off the list of employees, the case being stated by the engineer (Mr. G. H. Lee). He pointed out that the Board's operations could not be termed ordinary work, and also said in respect to hours of work! \g that these frequently had to be raised in the case of certain works to suit the trades. The Commissioner decided that the Board's namj bo left in the list of employers cited as it was necessary that the workers should be covered by some award. The Arbitration Court, he said, would po?sibly grant the Board partial exemption. After lengthy consideration the question of hours and wages was deferred till to-day to enable the Union to consider iu the interim certain proposals made by the assessors for the employers. Several machinery clauses were taken yesterday, and the Council will meet again to-day on the above question.