ARBITRATION DELAYS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 November 1938, Page 7

ARBITRATION DELAYS

THE STRIKE OF AUCKLAND GLASS WORKERS ANTICIPATION OF SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. WAGE CLAIMS DISCUSSED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, November 2. With reference to the strike of the employees of the Australian Glass Manufacturers’ Company Ltd, Penrose, in protest against delay in the hearing by the Arbitration Court of their claims for a new award, the manager of the company, Mr W. Kearns, said in the course of a statement today:— “The trouble comes at a most unfortunate time, Our trade is more or less seasonal, and the bulk of our customers are depending on large deliveries at this time of the year. The difficulties that users of bottles will have to face if the trouble is prolonged will be easy to imagine. The principal consumers are breweries, aerated water manufacturers, condiment manufacturers, wholesale and retail chemists, and the Christmas toilet and perfume trade. If .he trouble extends the milk trade will become involved, and, in short, every bottle-user in the country will be affected.”

Mr Kearns said that the stoppage would have serious consequences. The present output was 5000 gross of bottles a week, and his firm was the only one in the Dominion manufacturing bottle at present. They were carrying one with a low output by means of a skeleton staff. Normally there are four units making bottles and today only two were in use and the skeleton staff had been split up into shifts to enable the plant to be manned. ; Another industry to be affected was the manufacture of corrugated cardboard for cartons, these being used for packing wine, beer, spirits and many commercial commodities, replacing wooden cases to a large extent. The only manufactory in New Zealand was operated in Penrose by the firm now affected by the strike, and the employees were members of the Glassworkers’ Union, so that work was at a standstill;? Mr Kearns claimed that the company was paying higher wages than in other industries, and he understood that the men’s grievance was not against the company but against the Court of Arbitration. The wage in 1931. was £4 2s 6d and the stated policy 'of the court was to allow an increase of 5s a week on the 1931 figure to meet the increased cost of living. When the last award was before the court an increase of 4s was made, fringing the rate to £4 6s 6d. On this figure the employers now offered an additional 2s, making the figure £4 3s 6d, which was claimed to be Is a week above what would have been granted on the basis of the pronouncement made by the court. Furthermore, the 1931 figure paid to glass-workers was held to be above the rates ruling at that time in other industries. FURTHER MEETING TODAY. According to a member of the union, at the stop-work meeting last week a resolution was carried that work be resumed pending a conference within 48 hours. The men were not advised that any conference had been held. Yesterday afternoon a pamphlet was circulated among the men calling a stop-work meeting for today to discuss business for the proposed conference. The pamphlet stated, he said, that the meeting would also consider the advisability of cancelling the registration of the Auckland Glassworks’ Employees Union under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The meeting was held this morning, and a resolution was passed that the men adjourn the meeting until 8 a.m. tomorrow to allow the employers lepresentative, Mr W. E. Anderson, to secure a fixture for hearing of the dispute by the court. It was stated that Mr Anderson would appear in the court at 10 a.m. today, when he would make the application. The- resolution was carried by a big majority. An amendment to the resolution was put to the meeting suggesting that the men carry on work till 8 a.m. tomorrow pending a definite decision, but it was defeated on the vote of the majority, only a very ••small minority being in favour of the amendment.