WAGE INCREASES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 159, 6 July 1940, Page 6

WAGE INCREASES.

EMPLOYERS' CONCERN.

EXTRA WARTIME COSTS.

COMMENT ON COURT'S POLICY.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, this day,

In a statement handed to the Press yesterday, Mr. W. J. Mountjoy, secretary of the Wellington Employers' Association, expressed concern at the substantial increases in wages made by the Arbitration Court in recent awards.

"During this week,'' Mr. Mountjoy said, "two meetings have been held by different sections of employers to consider claims from unions for new awards. It is little wonder that workers' unions are making application to the employers for increases when it is considered that the increases that have recently been made in new awards are far and above the increases that were made by the Court during peacetime."

Ho instanced the New Zealand motor and horse drivers' award, wherein drivers employed for more than 40 hours and up to 44 hours a week have received an increase of 5 per cent. "In the coalyard labourers' award," he said, "the weekly wage of the labourers has been increased by 5/ a week, plus a payment of 10 per cent on the weekly wago to workers who are required to work over 40 and up to 44 hours a week. 1 liis brings the weekly wage ,up to £4 19/, compared with £4 5/ a week previously paid. The casual rate for labourers in coalyards has been increased by .»d an hour.

"In the New Zealand coach workers' award also the workers have been granted a halfpenny an hour increase to cover the cost of tools. In the New Zealand clerical workers' award, which came into force on July 1, a substantial increase in wages has been made for workers who may be required to work 44 hours a week, in that the Court has inserted a new clause which requires employers to make payment for' the four hours between 40 and 44 hours a week at the ordinary rate, in addition to the weekly wage hitherto paid for 44 hours' work.

"In the Dominion storemcn and packers' award, which comes into force on Monday, the wage rate for weekly workers has been increased by 5/ a week and further restriction and expense has been placed upon employers by making it compulsory to pay an additional four hours' wages to workers who work on Saturday morning, irrespective of whether or not they exceed a total of 40 hours in the week. In the last award the employer was permitted to work his workers on Saturday morning between the hours of 7.30 a.m. and noon.

"In the Dominion oil stores employees' award, which comes into force as from Monday, the Court has increased the weekly rate for storemen by 4/2 a week, notwithstanding that the distribution of the products of the companies covered by this award have been most seriously affected and reduced by the petrol restrictions.

"The difficulty the employers arc confronted with to-day is that they have to face increased costs, taxation and overhead, costs over which they have no control, but the increased wages that will have to be paid as a. result of these new awards must surely increase costs to the general public. "Recently a responsible Minister of the Crown, when referring to extra taxation, suggested that everyone should make sacrifices, and added that to overcome the extra expense imposed upon the workers the family allowance would be granted more liberally,'' continued Mr. Mountjoy. "If the workers are to receive consideration in this direction, and then on top of that they receive additional wages, one wonders, if this state of affairs is to continue, what will be the future of people on fixed incomes, and of employers of labour in particular, whose income has been reduced as a result of war conditions."