ARBITRATION COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 236, 2 October 1920, Page 11

ARBITRATION COURT.

CREAMERIES AWARD. QUESTION OF SUNDAY WORK. The creameries, cheese and butter factories employees' award, made by a • majority of the Arbitration Court, has ' been filed. " ■ Mr. Justice Stringer, in a memo, to the award, states tnat Mr. McCullough dissented to the number of hours of work fixed, which he regarded as being too ( long and the wages therefor too low. He also thought tnat when the conditions of an industry required workers to work on Sunday some extra payment should be provided therefor. The majority of the Court, however, were satisfied that the hours fixed could not be shortened or that Sunday work could b<! abolished, it being imperative that the perishable product of the industry—milk—should be treated every day of the week. The hours of work prevailing in the industry, however, had novv been considerably shortened, and, as some compensation for Sunday work, holidays on full pay for . two and three weeks respectively* had been granted. An alternative suggestion, ' whic'n was not adopted, was to give time and a-half on Sunday. The creamery workers, in addition to the wages fixed, , were to receive housing, fuel, and milk, , or 12/6 per week, and all workers where the factory handled such goods, were to ■ be supplied with butter, cheese, milk, cream, dried milk, and fuel at wholesale rates. The details of the award are as fol-lows:—Hours—-Butter factories: From August 15 to March 15, 60 per week of seven days; March to August, 44 per seven days' week. Cheese factories: August 1 to March 31, (55 per seven days' week; from April 1 to May 31, 48; from June 1 to July 31, 38. Dried-milk factories: September 1 to April 30, 05"; [May and August, 48; June and July, 38 , —seven days' week. Packinghouses (non-manufacturing) : 44 per six days' week. Creameries and bulking stations' hours to be arranged between employees and workers. Drivers' hours also to be arranged. i Wages.—Butter and dried-milk factories: Where manager and 15 or more hands are employed, first assistant £4 12/6, second £4 6/6, third £3 IS/6, others £3 0/; manager and six to nine hands, first £4 12/6, second £4 6/6. others £3 !(/; manager and three to five hands, first £4 12/6, others £3 9/; manager and one or two hand?, general £3 !)/. Cheese factories: Seven vats or over, first assistant £4 12/6, second £4 6/6, third £3 18/6, others £3 9/; four to six vats, £4 9/6, £4 3/, and £3 9/; two to three vats, £4 6/6, £3 9/; one vat, general hands £3 \9/. During the off season workers still employed to receive same rates. ' Creameries with daily average under 1.1200 gallons are exempted from the ' award. In other creameries, manager £3 2/ti, with fuel, milk and living accommodation, or 12/6, with extra pay accord- , ing to output. i Packing houses: Manager and four or more workers, £4 6/6, £3 12/6, £3 9/, two to four male workers £3 12/6, £3 9/, one adult male £3 12/6. In packing, houses, proportion of one youth to each adult. Any number of females may be i employed solely for packing butter. Engineer fitter, £4 15/; assistants, £3 15/; engine-drivers, lirst-claes £4 12/6, second £4 2/0; stokers, £3 9/; journeymen tinsmiths, £3 19/; drivers of motor vehicles, 1J ton £3 16/6, 1 ton to 1J ton £3 14/, less £3 11/6; horse drivers, onehoree £3 8/6, two or more £3 11/; launch drivers. £3 17/6: youths, 15 to 16 years £1, 16 to 17 £1 5/, 17 to 18 £1 10/, 18 to 10, £1 15/, 19 to 20 £2, and thereafter full rates. Females, under 19, fl 2/0, 19 and over £1 15/. Bonus, 10/ weekly to male adults, 5/ to females and youths; 2Jd per hour to hourly workers Creamery managers engaged on casein, extra weekly pay as follows: —Up to 800 . gallons. of milk per day in December £1 2/6, 800-1600 £1 15/, 1600-2400 £1 extra, and services of assistant to he paid extra, £1 17/6; over 2400. £1 2/6, and assistant at £2; wljen milk is received other than daily, manager 12/6 extra per week, and assistants extra wages until man is engaged; fortnightly payments. Casual labour, 2/ per hour." Holidays.—Butter lactones, two weeks annually on full pay during the offseason, and three weeks for workers in cheese and dried milk factories. No piecework. The award runs from October 18 1920, until October 18, 1922.