A TROUBLED WEEK-END

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21809, 15 June 1936, Page 10

A TROUBLED WEEK-END

HOTEL PROPRIETOR PUZZLED “AWARD” AND THE LAW; - \ J HOURS AND WAGES OP t EMPLOYEES Proprietors of hotels in the city, and doubtless proprietors in other centres as well, had a busy time over the week-end trying to read* just their staffs to a new set of working conditions, which, they were to come into operation to-day. Each of them had received a copy of the new conditions on a large sheet, under the heading “New Zealand Licensed-Hotel Employees— Award.” Trouble arose when it was found that certain vital provisions in the award seemed to conflict with, provisions governing hotel workers in the Shops and Offices Amendment Act and with a statement about the new conditions issued in the newspapers on Saturday. For those who were concerned in making the readjustments, these circumstances were perplexing enough; but they were further complicated when it was discovered that the “award” was apparently not an award at all, since it was not signed by a judge of the Arbitration Court and did not bear the imprint of the Government printer. Further than that, hotel workers are already under an award which has several months to run, and proprietors in the city did not know yesterday what steps had been taken, or were about to be taken, to have this award cancelled.

Uncertainty about the position began over the term of the “award.” The last clause said that it would come into force on June 15, which is to-day, and continue until April 1, 1937. One of the proprietors, after reading this, consulted section 13 of the Shops and Offices Amendment Act,* which limits the hours of employment in hotels and restaurants. Sub-section 7 of. this section says;— “This section shall come into force on the first day of September, 1936.” This proprietor was then in doubt whether he was bound to introduce a 44-hour week to-day or not until September 1, and to add to his confusion, there was a statement in the newspapers on Saturday, supplied by the employees’ union, saying that a 44-hour week would apply to all workers from Monday and that that number of hours had to be worked within six days of the week after that date, but within five and a half days of the week after July 1. Conference Fails A conference between some of those affected by the new “award” failed to reveal the solution to their problems, which were then passed on to Mr R. T. Bailey, officer in charge of the Labour Department in Christchurch. When “The Press” communicated with Mr Bailey yesterday, he said that if the award had a clause defining the term of its existence, the clause defining term in the Shops and Offices Amendment Act would not apply. “That would be the situation if the award had received the sanction of the court,” he said, and then went on to state that if it was an award it would bear the imprint of the Government printer, which it did not. After this, he said he was not prepared to give a ruling on the position until to-day, when he could consult documents in his office. In the meantime, the hotel proprietors went on with their readjustments, drawing up new time sheets, planning a new roster of duty, and so on. They were preparing to 'begin under the new conditions to-day, although they did not know whether they would be qbliged by law to adopt some of them until September I.

Higher Tariffs

The new conditions, which have been issued by the United Licensed Victuallers’ Association of New Zealand a'nd the New Zealand Federated Hotel and Restaurant Employees’ Association of Workers, provide for increases of from 5 to, 7$ per cent, in wages and will mean that, because of the shorter hours -to be worked, larger staffs will have to be kept. The increases in overhead costs are, of course, substantial in large hotels, and it was stated by one proprietor yesterday that they would inevitably mean increases in tariff. The amount of the increase in overhead in his hotel would be about £IOOO a year, and this would have to be balanced by higher charges. Incidentally, the engagement of extra staff was another matter which was giving proprietors much concern over the week-end. Some of them had appointed additional assistants and had then to consider the possibility of not needing them until September 1. When Mr J. O. McGillivray, secretary of the Licensed Victuallers’ Association, was consulted by “The Press, ’ he said that the 44-hour week would have to be worked over six days up till September 1, and over 5J days after that date. The change on September 1 will apparently be brought about by compliance with a clause in section 13 of the Shops and Offices Amendment Act reducing the daily hours of duty from 10 to eight.