NO EXTENSION OF' HOURS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23319, 3 May 1941, Page 8

NO EXTENSION OF' HOURS

* 1 * Industrial Life In , Britain OVERTIME RATES NOT RELAXED “There has been no increase in standard weekly hours for the standard weekly wages or relaxation in overtime rates in industry in England,” Mr W, Holmes, a past president of the Trades Union Congress, said in an interview yesterday when discussing the agitation in New Zealand for a general extension of working hours. He added that the retention of conditions was recognised all round but it circumstances demanded any extensinn ol hours the trades unions considered them with the employers and the Government. The view was held, however, that the best production was obtained when men were working during reasonable hours. , , A general upward trend m wage rates for industrial workers in Britain was reported by Mr Holmes, The'engineers recently asked for an increase of 10s weekly and were 4s They asked for a further advance, which was declined, and the union was now taking the claim to the Arbitration Court. Normal wages were nothing like the wages paid in New Zealand, Mr Holmes remarked. Engineers were paid from £3 up for a 47-hour week, with overtime at time and a quarter for the first two hours, time and a-half thereafter and double time for work on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Before the war broke out, engineers’ wages were from £2 10s to £3, the highest rate of £3 5s being paid in the London ■ Arcs The general body of workers had a 48-hour week. Building trade employees worked 44 hours, and one or two public services 45 hours. Only one public body in England had increased the-weekly hours, without a corresponding increase in wages, since the war began. If hours were worked beyond those fixed for the week, the pre-war overtime rates were paid. No proposition had been made in the organised trades to cut down overtime rates. The payment of overtime was accepted as a normal situation. . “What method of payment is followed in the event of a temporary cessation of work because of a ‘raider alert’ or bombing?” Mr Holmes was asked. • , “In the ordinary course of employment, the worker was paid for such lost time,” he replied. “But sometimes it was found that the .tinte spent away from work when alerts were sounded was longer than necessary. The employers offered to share the time on a 50-60 basis with the workers and now not so much time is being'spent in the shelters. Trades unions have not agreed'to any relaxation of overtime rates and very strong objections are launched by unionists when alterations are proposed.” , Asked if time as long as 70 hours a week; mentioned in discussions in New Zealand, was being worked by British unionists, Mr Holmes replied definitely: “Nothing like that; not even on the land. The highest hours worked on farms for the normal wage are 54 in only two counties and in the other counties overtime is paid after 50 hours.” - Evidence against any; extension of hours was that a shorter period of work stimulated output. After certain hours, the workers became tired and production fell off. It had been proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the production in the last few hours of a long week was. nothing like the output in the first part of the week. 1