WAGES INCREASED.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 20, 3 November 1938, Page 5

WAGES INCREASED.

M GTQ R AN D HORSE D R IVE RS:. MAJORITY DECISION OF COURT. ‘ (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. A general increase in wages of. 5s .. a week’, with smaller increases to juniors, ii-i,provided by the New'-Zealand-Motor and.' Horse Drivers’ Award, which has been issued by the Second Court of Arbitration. The increase was granted by a majority decision of the Court, which decided unanimously to fix houi’9 as in the expired award. . Regarding wages, the parties had tlife pronouncement of the Court jn J the sugar workers’ dispute to . guide them, said Mr Justice. Hunter, .namely, tlie Court in that ca£e had made a general increase of 5s a week in line with the increase the Court proposed generally to award to adult weekly workers. “The Court has been unable to see its way to agree to a 40-liour week for all drivers,” stated Mr Justice Hunter, “because this is an industry subsidiary to a large number pf industries, in some of which a longer week than 40 hours is worked, and the services of drivers must be available during the whole of such longer week. The hours clause follows the principle of ‘ following the house,’ and those drivers who at present work a lesser number of hours than 40 per week will continue to do so.”

The employees’ representative'(Mr'A. W.. Croskery) dissented, from-Jdie majority decision of-the Court-in restricting the increase in wages to a 5s increase for weekly workers, as. set opt in the memorandum to. the sugar workers’ award. He stated- that the general increase of 5s to weekly workers, witlL, out giving any consideration to the hours of work, completely denied the workers’ right to maintain, the relative position which they had been working, under in respect to. other awards/' If' the drivers’ wages had been all assessed bn the same relative consideration as adopted by, Mr Justice Fraser in 1924 and 1925, continued Mr Crpskery, the lowest-paid driver to-day should receive a weekly wage of £5 2s 8d for his 44-hour week in order to maintain his relative position with . a labourer.

The minimum wages fixjed in part one of. the award, applying to 'workers -other than those engaged in goods transport services operating under the Transport. Licensing Act, are as follow:-

Driving and attending one horse, £4 13s; two horses, £4.l6smore .than two, fid day or 2s fid a. week for each additional horse. >

Driving any. motor vehicle up, to two tons with load, including motor-cycles and tricars, £4 16s; two tons to four tons, £4 18s fid ; four to fire and a-half, '£s Is; five and a half to ten, £5 ss; over ten, £5 Bs. Tractors not otherwise specified and ’.used with trailers, £5; motor rollers, £4 lfis; motor-driven implements, used on construction, maintenance or formation work, 2s 6|d an hour.

The wages for youths driving a horse range from £2 7s fid from 18'to - '“l9 years to £3 4s fid from 20 to 21. On motor vehicles they range from £2 12s fid to £3 9s fid. . , , .

For goods service drivers the minimum weekly rates and overtime rates, according to weight of vehicle are: — Up to one ton, £4 18s aind 3s an hour ■ - one to "two, £5 Is and 3s; two to four and a half, £5 3s fid and 3s Id;- four and a-half to six and a-half, £5 7s 6d and 3s 2d; six ancFa-half, £5 10s and 3s 2d. .

For youths' the weekly rate ranges from £2 15s to £3 14s Gd and overtime from Is 8d to 2s 3d. '

The award will operate from-October 31 last to October 31, 1939.