TASMANIAN INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION

Industrial Relations Act 1984
s.23 application for award or variation of award

Metals and Engineering Workers' Union
(T.3331 of 1991)

WATCHMAKERS AWARD

State Wage Case August 1991 - 2.5% increase - not granted

REASONS FOR DECISION

This matter concerned an application by the Metals and Engineering Workers' Union (MEWU) to vary the Watchmakers Award to reflect the 2.5 per cent increase in wage rates and allowances in accordance with the 13 August 1991 State Wage Case decision1.

Mr Baker for the MEWU and Mr Clues for the Tasmanian Confederation of Industries informed the Commission that the award was years out of date and that to their knowledge it does not have current application.

Mr Baker submitted that the award could be rescinded and coverage for the sole classification of Watchmaker to be provided by the Mechanical Engineers and Founders Award. I was informed that this latter award is proposed to be restructured into three separate awards, i.e., the Metals Workshop Award, Metals on-Site Award and the Metals Equipment Award. Obviously those matters still have a way to go.

In the meantime there appears to be no point in varying the Watchmakers Award to bring it up to date. This certainly could not be done by way of the present application for the 2.5 per cent increase. In any event the award does not meet the criteria specified in Principle 2 - Structural Efficiency, paragraphs (a) to (g) for this increase to be awarded.

In all of the circumstances I consider that application should be made to vary the Mechanical Engineers and Founders Award to provide for Watchmaker classification. Following the outcome of those proceedings the Watchmakers Award may be rescinded on application by any of the parties to it.

In deciding in this way I have taken into account the technicalities of Section 32(7) of the Industrial Relations Act 1984 and the fact that to rescind the Watchmakers Award as a consequence of an application for a 2.5 per cent increase would be going beyond the scope of the application before the Commission.

This file is closed.

R.K. Gozzi
COMMISSIONER

Appearances:
Mr P. Baker for the Metals and Engineering Workers' Union.
Mr J. Long for the Federation of Industrial, Manufacturing and Engineering Employees, Tasmania Branch.
Mr S. Clues for the Tasmanian Confederation of Industries.

Date and Place of Hearing:
1991:
Hobart
September 3

1 T.3069 and T.3166 of 1991