SHEARERS' WAGES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 249, 20 October 1928, Page 14

SHEARERS' WAGES.

IMPORTANT AGREEMENT.

BASED ON PRICE OF WOOL.

MINIMUM OF 25/ PER HUNDRED.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Friday,

The agreement between the New Zealand Sheep-farmers' Federation and the New Zealand Workers' Union regarding the rates of pay for shearers and shed hands to be embodied in the existing award as a basis for the calculation of wages for three years, operates from to-day.

The agreement establishes a new principle in that it does away with the payment of wages on the cost of living scale and substitutes payment according to wool prices. When wool is high wages will be high, and when wool is low wages will be low.

The agreement provides that for the! current season and for two seasons thereafter the rates for shearers and shed hands shall be adjusted in accordance with the movement of wool prices, as determined by the Government Statistician's index numbers for the export prices of wool (calculated for June years). The price index number of 1890, taken as the base for the present year, equals 30/ per 100 for shearers. The rates prescribed for shed hands are based on the rates of the 1926 award, plus 2Ad per hour for hourly hands, or 7/6 per week for weekly hands. A movement of 50 units in the index number up or down shall equal 6d per 100 for shearers and Ad per hour or 1/6 per week for shed hands, provided that the rate per 100 shall hot fall below 25/ and the rate for shed hands shall not be reduced more than 2}d per hour below the 1926 award rates. All movements of index numbers shall be calculated to the nearest 50 units above or below the base.

The rates for youths for the three years of this agreement shall be fixed at 1/8 per hour or £2 12/6 per week, and shall not be subject to any variation on the basis set out in this agreement.

The determination of the index number for each year shall be the work of a committee consisting of the Government Statistician and one representative each of ,the employers and the Shearers' Unions. This committee, not later than the first day of October in each year, shall announce the index number and rates of pay for the forthcoming season. A joint application shall be made to the Arbitration Court to amend awards embodying this agreement, to operate %s from October 19.