STOREMEN’S WAGES.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 June 1921, Page 6

STOREMEN’S WAGES.

[ ■ APPLICATION FOR 'AWAIfeNEW UNION FOR TARANAKI, An application for an aw&rd covering wages and conditions of employment by the New Plymouth United Storemen and Packers’ Industrial Union was heard by the Conciliation Council at a sitting in New Plymouth yesterday. The application cited as respondents most of the merchants doing business in Taranaki, and this was the first occasion on which an award has been applied for in this branch of industry. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. T. Harle Giles) presided, and the assessors were: Union: Messrs. H. Dyson (Wellington), A. Gay lard (New Plymouth), and F. J. Lyons (New Plymouth); respondents, Messrs. G. W. Morgan (Levin and Co.), Wellington; M. Healy (Newton King, Ltd.), New Plymouth; and C. H.\Wynyard, New Plymouth. In addressing the council at the outset, the Commissioner suggested that in order to simplify affairs the employers’ representatives might well make an offer without prejudice, and the parties could then proceed and get down to bedrock. He remarked that the union, following the usual custom, had probably suaked for a bit more than they expected to get, and in the counter-proposals the employers had not made the fatal error of offering any more than they would like to give. He had tried, during his experience, to improve on this system, on which conciliation started, but he had not been able to do so. It seemed a matter of course that at the outset the parties would file their claims after the style mentioned.

Before the council proceeded to deal with the award an application for exemption for the Egmont Brewery Co. was made by Mr. E. I’. Webster, on the ground that the firm had neither storemen nor packers engaged substantially in this class of work. Subsequently, by mutual consent, the name of the company was struck off the list of parties cited. THE UNION’S CLAIMS. The union asked for a forty-four hour week, time worked in excess of the usual daily hours to be paid for at the rate of time and a half; an ordinary day’s work not to exceed, nine houns.

The following requests were made in regard to wages and casuals:-*-Storemen and packets over the age of 21 yeans employed at Work usually performed by storemen and packers, such as receiving, delivery of, stowing, collecting. handling, and despatching goods: Head storeman £5 IDs per week; storeman or packer £5 per week; men acting as gang foremen, £5 2s Gd. Junior storemen or packers: Under 17,years of age, £2; from 17 to 18 yeans, £2 10s; from 18 to 10 years, £3; from 19 to 20 years, £3 10s; from 20 to 21 years. £4; and thereafter the minimum wage. "Workers employed for less than one, week shall be deemed to be casuals, and shall be paid not less than 2s 6d per hour. When casual labor is employed a minimum of four hours shall be* paid for. Each firm or employer shall be entitled to employ one junior, but the proportion of juniors to adult workers shall not exceed one ft) three or fraction of three.

EMPLOYERS’ PROPOSALS. The counter-proposals of the employers suggested a 48-hour week, hours of work in any one day not to exceed nine. Head storemen or packers £3 10s per week, storemen or packers £3 os per week, this to be increased by a bonus of 10s per week. The payment for juniors ranged from £1 2s 6d for storemen under 17 years of age to £2 5s for storemen from 20 to 21 years. These rates to be increased by a bonus of 3s 6d per week; casuals Is Od per hour, with overtime at the rate of 2s 2d per hour, bonus of 3d per hour to be paid in addition to these rates.

DISCUSSION BY COUNCIL, Proceeding to discuss the claims, the council subsequently agreed on the matter of hours by adopting ttye clauses from the Auckland award, which provides for a 44-hour week, and is the same its that asked by the union with the following addition: —Where a factory -is carried on in conjunction with a store the same houts of work as in the factory may be observed, provided that the week’s work shall not exceed 48.

A tenative agreement was come to on the matter of wages, which were fixed at £4 3s for storemen and packers, but a hold-up wae encountered on the following clause put forward by the union: Storemen and packers handling or mixing manures shall be paid not less than 3d per hour whilst so employed, in addition to weekly wage. -Workers employed on manure, hides, ekins, wool, or seed cleaning, picking potatoes, onions and fruit shall be provided with overells; wages .£5 2s Gd.

There was considerable controversy on this point. Assessors for the employers were prepared to concede the bonus asked for in respect of manure, but were firm in opposing the rate asked for in regard to wool, grain, hides and skins.

Further debate did not result in any finality till, on the suggestion of the commissioner, it was decided by the assessors for the union to withdraw the clause without prejudice. Wages for head storemen were fixed at £4 13s, and gang foremen £4 5s 6d, and juniors were fixed at from ;£1 2s 6d at 17 years of age to £2 17s 6d at 2122, plus bonus of 3s 6d per week; casuals 2s and bonus -of one penny.

The following holidays were agreed ■on: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, birthday of reigning Sovereign, Labor Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Work done on Sundays, Good FrL day, Christmas Day and Anzac Day to be paid for at overtime rates. PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS WITHDRAWN.

The employers agreed to notify the union, on request, of any new hands taken on, the union consenting to the withdrawal of the following clauses in the application: “When an employer wishes to obtain the services.of a worker he shall in the first instance make an application to the secretary of the union, and if the union is not in a position to supply his requirements within a reasonable or prescribed time, the emp'oyer may engage any person whether a member of the union or otherwise.”

“It shall be a condition of employment when engaging storemen or packers that they shall become and remain members of- the union.”

The award comes into operation on June 14.

At the termination of proceedings a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Giles was proposed by Mr. Dyson, who te-marked on the smooth manner in which probeen conducted. He said

he recognised that a fii-st award, as in the present case, always presented more difficulties. He understood that the relationship between employers and employees in Taranaki had always been of the best, and he trusted this state would continue. Mr. Morgan, in seconding, remarked that employers generally were not. looking for their pound of flesh. All the world over it was recognised that the more they did for the men the better would be the work they. would get out of them. The employers were out for better conditions for the men, and if hhe employees were prepared to meet t/iem , in amicable Bpfrit they were quite willing to make concessions, as was demonstrated during the present proceedings. 1 he commissioner, in replying, said he coi 'I do nothing w +hout the co-opera-tion of the assessor. The proceedings had >een fought strenuously,' but in a good oirit ami without recriminations. It now, up to the uniou to show

their appreciation of the fair spirit in which they had been met by giving the! employers as fair a return as lay in their power for the extra wages.