EXTEND HOURS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 34, 10 February 1943, Page 4

EXTEND HOURS

BUILDING TRADE PROPOSED NEW ORDER

"Restrictive regulations are irksome to everyone concerned, but the workers recognise that there is a war on and that regulations are necessary up to a point," said the president of the Auckland District Council of the Federation of Labour, Mr. F. Craig, to-day, in referring to a conference recently held in Wellington representative of the workers and employers in the building industry when a wage order plan was proposed.

"We also contend that the age of planning is here, and the proposed order is a plan to get on with the job of dealing not only with defence works proper, but with the housing proposals, which we think quite rightly come under the heading of war emergency. It is obvious to everyone that something must be done in the way of housing to rehabilitate the men who have returned and will be returning in increasing numbers and are deserving of the best.

"It is the considered opinion of the trade union movement that any haphazard method of dealing with the housing problem could only result in the chaos which occurred after the last war, when no plan was in operation." Employers' Request "We would like to point out that the employers prior to this repeatedly urged the extension of hours. They have got an xtension of hours under the Defence Construction Order and, now then—what do they want?

"There is nothing in the proposed order brought down by the Commissioner of Defence Construction, Mr. Fletcher, nor in the counter proposals submitted by the workers which is hot at present in operation under the Defence Construction Order," added Mr. Craig. "Such things as travelling time, a minimum weekly wage, and an annual paid holiday have been in operation under this order in Auckland with the unanimous consent of the employers represented on the Defence Construction Committee."

Dealing with the employers' proposal to revert to the award, Mr. Craig said that it was too thin. At the conference recently held in Wellington he pointed out that under the manpower regulations the worker was compelled to stay with one employer and could not transfer except with the permission of the manpower officer, who would agree to a transfer only under exceptional conditions. He had also explained that the Stabilisation ; Regulations compelled a worker to work for the minimum rate of wages set out in his award.

Thirdly, prior to the regulations coming into force almost all the workers were recei-Ting as much as the flat rate proposed for 40 hours, with overtime according to the award thereafter.

The institution of regulations, even with the flat rate, reduced the workers' wages considerably, Mr. ■ Craig continued. The workers had accepted it. because they realised that production must be kept up, and some uniformity had to be achieved. Every worker knew that if he was not.bound by regulations, and he still retained the right to bargain with the employer ..for his wages and conditions, he would be receiving at the present time much more than any order could give him. A Composite Order ■It was ascertained from other quarters that a composite order "was to be made covering building operations of every description. Representatives of the employers and workers in the industry had met before the hours committee of the Industrial Emergency Council. The Commissioner of Defence Construction, Mr. Fletcher, was present. A new order was decided on to cover the whole industry. Submissions were made by the parties concerned and the hours committee would make a recommendation to the Industrial Emergency Council, and in its turn the council would make a recommendation to the War Cabinet.

The order ' envisaged a 48-hour weekv in the building industry at ■wages to be based on the present Defence Construction Order. Hours and wages would be fixed on the basis of the present 40-hour week for ordinary time, plus time and a half for the extra eight hours. Payment over 48 hours would be at 3/3 an hour, instead of 2/91,"as provided for in ordinary time on a 40-hour week basis/There would be a guaranteed minimum wage of £5 10/ a week.