Engineers’ award settled

The Conciliation Commissioner, Mr W.H. Hagger, sat yesterday morning to hear the dispute between the Dunedin branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (including brass finishers, coppersmiths, range makers, cycle and motor mechanics, and tin plate and sheet metal workers) Industrial Union of Workers and their employers. About 35 employers were cited as

respondents. A complete agreement was arrived at. It was agreed that three classes of labour should be recognised: journeymen, assistants and underrate workers. Journeymen to include platers, enamellers, frame builders, wheelbuilders, repairers, assemblers, oxyacetylene or electric welders, polishers, turners, pram and gocart builders, motorcycle mechanics, and vulcanisers. For the purposes of the award, a journeyman is a worker who has served five years at any of the foregoing branches of the trade. It was decided that the working hours be from 7:30 till 5:30 on five days of the week, and from 7:30 till noon on Saturdays. Journeymens’ wages were fixed at 1s 101⁄2d per hour.