LABOR DISPUTES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2048, 20 May 1890, Page 4

LABOR DISPUTES.

Madrid, May 15. Martial law has been extended to the province of Biscay. Troops fired upon a mob of 15,000 strikers at Desireto, killing many. London, May 16. # The strikers at Hay's wharf are indignant at the dockers stopping the supply of funds. Brisbane, May 18. A conference yesterday between the Shearers' Union and the pastoralists resulted in the latter agreeing to recognise the union conditionally upon terms being arranged at a future conference. The strike of the shearers is now at an end. The Butchers' Employes Union of Wellington warn the men in centres where a Butchers' Union does not exist, against accepting employment in Melbourne while the present strike lasts. This action was taken as the Melbourne Union feared that the masters would send to New Zealand for men to fill the places of the strikers. At Friday's sitting of the Maritime Council the draft of the constitution under which it is proposed that the wharf labourers of the whole of Australia shall federate, was discussed. With regard to the misunderstanding which has arisen between the Union Steamship Company and the Wharf Labourers' Union at Westport, it was decided to send a practical man to investigate and report. The secretary was instructed to wire to Mr Edwards, general secretary of the Railway Servants Society, advising that a representative from the employes be sent to Wellington to meet the Commissioners and discuss any grievances 1 which they have ; and, in the event of them failing to obtain satisfaction in that way, that they lay the matter before Ministers. It was also decided to send a deputation to wait on Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs of Christchurch with reference to the trouble at their establishment, after conferring with the Trades and Labour Council at Christchurch. Men on the Stony Creek section of the Midland Railway, West Coast» have struck because the president of their union was dismissed from the work. The Shag Point miners' strike is still unsettled,

THF. RAILWAY EMPLOYES. The general secretary of the Railway Employes' Association has sent the following to the Commissioners : " The Executive Committee are astonished at the action taken by the Commissioners in misleading public opinion re strike. There is no such intention whatever at present, and the executive cannot approve of the evasive manner in which the correspondence has been replied to. Will you give a definite reply to the question asked for in the letters of March 29th and April 21st ?" Mr Edwards, secretary of the Bailway Employes' Society, says :—" Ihe railway men know too well, and the Commissioners are cognisant of the fact, that if the society did not admit non-railway men as honorary members the leaders would be made to suffer, and I doubt very much, indeed, whether, if it was composed entirely of employes, the Commissioners would have acknowledged that they bad no objection to the union being in existence. Was there ever a greater farce than the Commissioners acknowledging there are 4200 employes, and knowing that the union is over 4000 strong, and then warning the employes against acting on the orders of the union? If the Commissioners will ; accept a deputation from the society I to discuss the grievances such will be arranged, but the employes themselves, remembering the bitter experience of past interviews, with Mr Maxwell at least, will decidedly object to a deputation of employes alone. To say that boys have not been taken on to supersede men is to say what is utterly i false, for where men were formerly employed boys now are. That boy's are taken on to fill vacancies is perfectly correct, for men are being dispensed Jwith in all directions, and dismissed and disrated for the most trivial things. I may mention the case of a guard of fourteen years service, who has been dismissed because the handle of aa old rotten batter-box came out whilst he was putting it into his van, causing the contents to partly fall out on the platform. I challenge the Commissioners to prove that fair allowance is made for overtime in any way whatever, with but lew exceptions here and there. Allowing about one hour off for every six hours of overtime worked is an example of the Commissioners' sense of justice. What we are asking for is a reply from the Commissioners to the grievances we have laid before them, but in all their communications they studiously keep from this. We have made our rules to suit our own requirements, and intend to stick to them until our next conference- It is quite useless for the Commissioners to parley about our constitution and it would be more to their credit if they frankly replied to our representations of grievances instead of endeavouring to get the employes to run the risk of—well, never mind. But where are those from Addington workshops who on a former occasion were men enough to speak up for what they deemed to be justice? Once bit twice shy, ia an

old adage. The circular, asking the I men to vote on the question of extreme measures by May 18th, pub;! lished in "Wellington, relate only to the Canterbury branch. The result was—" For, 741; against, 46; informal, 5. Several branches have not finished voting. The Commissioners have issued the following statement regarding the present rate as to the hours, regulations for overtime, wages in the permanent way, traffic and locomotive departments:— " Perminent way—Workmen are required to work S hours per day, or 48 hours per week for the authorised daily wages. The regular hours of labour are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on working daysj with one hour off, Extra pay to ba allowed to labourers and tradesmen for time worked in excess of the 8 hours per J day, subject to such regulations as may I from time to time be issued.

" Locomotive running—lo hours or 100 miles at the option of the locomotive superintendent to count as on & day's work for a driver or-fireman, overtime to be counted at the rate of time and a quarter. "Traffic employes will be required to work all trains on the advertised timetable without allowance for overtime, but sia far as possible the duties are to be arranged to avoid overtiroo. " General—As far as can be arranged consistently with econony and public convenience, in ca6e of the employe's J generally the working time is not to I exceed 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week of 6 working days. In (ho case of the iooomotive drivers and firemen, the working time as far as practicable is to be limited to 10 hours a day or 60 hours per week of 6 working days. Men engaged

on intermittent services who are paid extra for overtime,as in the c.ise of drivers and firemen, will not have their whole time

counted from first coming on duty until finally leaving, but only, such time as an officer in charge may in each case determine as may be fairly counted working time. The above ia the present regulation of the Department regarding hours of labour, and li;is been in force about ten years.. Traffic employes as a rule are intermittent workers, and their duties cannot be arranged to be performed continuously. In their case extra pay is not as a rule given for overtime, except for Sunday' work. When there are '.Tonshours to be worked by individuals which are unavoidable, the men have one day off a week, or may have long days and short days alternately, so as to approximate as closelj as possible to the rule that six : days of 8 hours corn linuoiis labor is the standard time. Main-tenance-men who are .working 8 hours a day coutiuuously are paid extra for night work between G p.m. and 6 a.m. at time and a half. Regular night gauga who do nat work through the day receive time and a qua'ter pay for u ork betweeD 6 a.m. and G p.m. Sunday work is piid at time uud a half. Workshop hands artj paid at the rate of an hour rind a quarter for evrry hour worked during the week over 48 hours, For work done between 9 p,m. and 6 a.m. rate and a half will he allowed for every hour so worked. On Suuday r:>te and a half is allowed provided full time (48 hours) has been worked during the week."