ENCLOSURE NO.1 (Item 5 )
(Statement by Commissioner of Labour,12th
September, 1947.)
42
END
•
which
An official statement, issued by the Commissioner of Labour yester- day concerning the terms under the strike was settled, dis- closed that at the final meeting the Chinese Engineers' Institute made eight requests, four of which were agreed to and four rejected by he employers. In accepting the "m- ployers' offer, the Institute's presentatives stated that they would impress upon the men the necessity for hard and steady work.
re-
In his statement, the Com- missioner of Labour said that other employers of labour, part of whose staffs were on strike, were prepared to pay either the increases agreed to as a result of the dockyard negotiations,
the or where panies were in the Utility the increases decided upon Utility companies.
The statement read: "A
meeting
com-
group, by the
between the Dockyard Employers and the representatives of the Chinese Engineers Institute under the Chairmanship of the Commissioner of Labour took place in the Urban Council Chamber at 2.30
Thursday, September 11.
p.m.
on
"The first point for discussion was the question of the remuneration of foremen. The Commissioner of Labour stated that he had that morning interviewed a num- ber of foremen from the various dock-
yards in the presence of the Union re- presentatives. He had explained to these men that the employers were not pre- pared to negotiate the terms of their remuneration as part of the questions under negotiation with the Chinese En- gineers Institute They maintained that foremen's wages were a matter for ne- gotiation between the employers and the foremen themselves. He had strongly advised the foremen to negotiate directly with their employers and not to prolong a strike which was affecting the” livell- hood of over 10,000 persons by endeavour- ing to have their individual cases made part of a general settlement.
"The employers reiterated that they were not prepared to deal with their foremen through the Chinese Engineers Institute in these negotiations. Repre- sentatives of the Union enquired whether. if the foremen were unable to arrive at a satisfactory settlement with their em- ployers, they could bring the matter to the notice of the Labour Commissioner through the Chinese Engineers Institute, and it was agreed that this course always open to them.
"Representatives of the Union then raised the following eight points:—— (1)
(11)
(ii)
(iv)
(V)
(vi)
(vii)
was
New entrants to the ranks of skilled time workers in the dock- yards to receive pay at not less than the revised minimum rate, plus rehabilitation allowances. This was agreed, and the employers further agreed that apprentices on completion of their apprenticeship should be placed on the revised minimum rate for skilled trades- men time workers.
Monthly paid workers to receive the same increases as were grant- ed to daily paid time workers as a result of these negotiations. This was not agreed to by the employ- ers,
were not prepared to discuss the emoluments of monthly paid workers with the Union but who stated that each management would consider the grant of ap- propriate increases to month y paid workers
This
workers employed by contractors to be given the same increases as those granted Lo dally paid time workers.
was not agreed to by the employers. The question uf the
Was contractor employees outside the terms of these negolia- tions and these men were no、 em- ployed directly by the dockyarus. All arrears of pay (pay in ha.id) earned by the stilke.s before the stike to be paid by the 2nd day after the strikers returned to work. This was agreed to. The employ- ers promising to“ pay not later than the 2nd working day after the men returned to work.
The new rates of pay arrived at 25 a result of inese negotiations to be made effecuve as from the gate of ine lust demand put for- ward by the Union, i.e. February, 1947. 'This was not agreed to by the employer.
'un-
All privileges previously enjoyed by the workers to reinain changed. The employers agreed that conditions of service would not be altered.
Strikers (both monthly and daily paid) to be paid at the revised Tales for the period of the strike. Payment to be made within three weeks of return to Work. Tłus tne em- was not agreed to by ployers.
for
The Union representatives then asked if the employers would giant a subsistence owance the period of the strike in view of the hardship itered by the n.en. The employers regretted that they
ts, and ! pointed out that they too hau suttered financially by reason of the strike.
Wed
Midvit
10
(vi) None of the Strikers OT 1.01! representatives tu be min
NUK JEN
t dis ZTAMIL. The embay
...
BALD
.Eat-
Full Authority so Negotiate "The employɛis now asked the Union representauves whether, in the event of BALLISLACIOly sellement being leached
a
at this meeting the union representatives were in a position to call an end to the stlike, or whether they would require to back to their members for further
Ko
been
authority. 1 ne Union representatives
atau umphauically that they had given full authority to negotiate a settle- ment and that they were in a position, should A satisfactory settlement be reached, w
the BULAN an end and that au skuled time workers would return to work. They pointed out, however, that the foremen were not in-
Ma
in this category.
was
"Aller furuiti uweudon, the employers agreed that, with a view to securing an immediate setuement of the strike, une, wele prepared น
the following
itis:
increased
All men now on strike to be taken back
struke to WORK imunediately the enced.
"The existing basic wages of all skill- ed uude suien tine Wolkers who before the strike were on the oasic wage soule ranging
from 25 cents per hour to 40
cents
bour to be per
by bu per cent
"The employers pointed out that they had already stated that they would con- wder the grant of appropriate increases other grades. They also demanded that if these terms wele accepted the emon representatives would take it upon nemselves to bring home to the men the vital importance of doing an honest day's
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WOLK.
"The Union representatives stated that they accepted the employers ofer and that they would impress upon the men the necessity for hard and steady work.
"The Commissioner of Labour asked wheuser it could be taken that the strike was officially ended, and the Union representatives replied in the affirmative. "The meeting ended at about 5.30. p.m. "Before this meeting the Labour Com- missioner had been in touch with other employers of labour part of whose staffs weile on strike and had ascertained that Liese employers were in all cases pre- pared to take back the strikers and were prepared, so far as daily paid workers within the skilled tradesmen scale were concerned, to
either the increases / pay agreed to as A result of the dockyard Degutiations, or where the were in the Utility group, the increases decided upon by the utility companies. As regards monthly paid workers these em- ployers were prepared to consider ap- propriate increases but were not prepared to make them' subject to the Dockyard- Union negotiations. Monthly paid workers in service of the Government must await the result of the Salaries Commission.
companies
there World De I Nuat nevar.
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