FRUIT SHOP CONDITIONS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 106, 7 May 1942, Page 8

FRUIT SHOP CONDITIONS

ASSISTANTS SEEK AWARD

The time was long past when fruiterers should be held as slaves to their business, bound there by Chinese and Indian competition, declared Mr. A. W. Croskery on behalf of the. fruiterers' assistants, when applying to the Arbitration Court yesterday for the first award to cover the fruit and vegetable-selling trade in Auckland. Claims by the union were for wages ranging from 36/ to £5 10/ a week for males and from 31/6 to £3 10/ for females, with provision for a 40-hour week on 55 days, ten statutory holidays and 14 days' annual holiday on full pay. The employers' counter-claim offered wages at 20/ to £5 2/6 for males, and 20/ to £2 17/6 for females, an annual holiday of seven days on full pay, and a 44-hour week spread over six days. A special claim by Chinese fruiterers counter-claimed for only three statutory holidays in the year instead of ten. Basing his case on this, Mr. W. E. Anderson, for the employers, made a plea to the Court in the interest, he said, of the public and the trade to reduce the statutory holidays to three. He urged that the perishable nature of the goods sold caused incalculable loss to fruiterers and growers, and the supply of deteriorated goods to the public when shops had to be closed over two days as a result of these casual holidays. The employers, he said, were prepared to meet the cutting of the statutory holidays to three by adding to the annual holiday to make it 14 days, and also, providing that shops were open to 6 p.m. on four days and till 9.30 p.m. on two others, the employers would make an addition to their wages offer up to £5 5/ for males and £3 for females, with increases up to 1/6 a week accordingly for juniors.

To-day the case for the European fruiterers who desired one late night a week and a regular fixed halfholiday for all shops was presented by Mr. C. C. King.