APPRENTICES' PAY IN METAL TRADES

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24711, 31 October 1945, Page 8

APPRENTICES' PAY IN METAL TRADES

• ' -♦- r- ■ POSSIBLE CHRISTCHURCH ACTION "While no action'had,been taken in Christchurch about pay- increases for engineering apprentices being retrospective to July 1 and not April 1 ion which an Auckland report yesterday stated that metal trades workers in the main centres would hold stop-work meetings), a Christchurch trade uniorr official said yesterday that a meeting might be held shortly to discuss the subject, but otherwise he could give no official indication at present of any action being taken. The New Zealand president of the Metal: Trades Federation (Mr F. N. Lawrence), to whom the report was referred, said he had no' comment to make meanwhile. The secretary of the Canterbury Employers' Association (Mr H. F. Butland) said' that the Arbitration Court had issued orders (copies having reached him yesterday), in terms similar to the Auckland order, amending the Canterbury engineering apprentices order, and Canterbury motor trade apprentices order, pay increases being retrospective to July 1.

The policy of the Arbitration Court in amending apprenticeship orders was set out in a memorandum with the Northern Furniture Trade Apprenticeship Order (reported in "The Press" on October 22). The memorandum stated that amendments would take effect from July 1 if the applications ware made before November 5, and that while it had been announced that amendments to awards and industrial agreements would have effect from April 1 no such general announcement had been made for amendments to apprenticeship orders. tVAGES OF BUILDING APPRENTICES

COURT'S AMENDMENT AWAITED "The delay of the Arbitration Court in amending building trades' appren-. ticeship orders is causing discontent; both parents and apprentices are becoming dissatisfied," said Mr F. L. Langley, secretary of the Canterbury branch of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, yesterday. Amendment of the Canterbury district order in terms of the Court's pronouncement providing for percentage wage increases, based on journeymen's" rates under the northern district order, was sought in an application to the Court at Christchurch on July 31, said Mr Langley. No amendment had yet been made by the Court. Where employers had agreed the Court had amended orders to provide for the new scales to*be paid as from April 1 last. Several applications in Christchurch were opposed by the employers, but some employers were paying the rates as fixed for the northern district.

APPRENTICESHIP ORDERS

AMENDED

The Court of Arbitration recently amended' the Canterbury Engineers' Apprenticeship Order and the Motor Engineers' Apprenticeship Order, both amendments being effective from July ■l. 1945.

In each case, it was provided that minimum weekly wages should be stated percentages of the nominal weekly rate of wages for journeymen, or of an amount equal to 40 times the nominal hourly rate of wages for journeymen. The percentages ranged from 23 for the first six months to 77 for the tenth six months. The new wage rates apply to existing, contracts, and are subject to the Court's two bonuses.