WATERFRONT WAGES

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28447, 29 November 1957, Page 23

WATERFRONT WAGES

Submissions By Employers

(New Zealand Press Association; WELLINGTON, Nov. 28.

Waterside workers, with a recent hourly rate of 8s 5d average ordinary time, were the highestpaid workers in any comparable New Zealand industry, said the advocate for the employers (Mr V. P. Blakeley) before the Waterfront Industry Tribunal today.

The workers seek an increase of 9d an hour from 5s 3d to 6s. When the hours worked on the waterfront were broken down, waterside workers earned £2O Is 3d a week for a working week averaging only 43 working hours, said Mr Blakeley. An extract by the Labour and Employment Department showed that watersiders received 8s 5.73 d an hour in the first six months of 1957, said Mr Blakeley. Overtime rates were 10s 5.1 d an hour. i

The highest-paid workers in comparable industries were in forestry, logging, mining . and quarrying, where the average pay, was 8s l.ld an hour, with over-; time 10s 5.1 d an hour. This table did not show the; watersiders’ advantage in payments during holidays, said Mr Blakeley. This would bring the watersiders’ average even higher. There had been no improvement in the rate of work since the increase to 5s 3d an hour in the basic rate in 1955. In fact, statistics showed a decrease in cargo handling rate in 1956, he said. | Effect on Freights Members of the tribunal in-; quired as to the effect of wage increases on increased freight rates. No specific information, however, was available, they were told. i Both the chairman (Judge, Archer) and a member, Mr' Thomas Bloodworth, told Mr, Blakeley that this information I would be of considerable value to! the tribunal in judging the claims. | Judge Archer said that both sides had presented figures which failed to present the real effect of the increases. Mr Blakeley in his submissions had given the impression that the wage increase had played a large part in the freight increase. “Personally I don’t believe that is so,’’ said Judge « Archer.

Mr Bloodworth, in saying that he would also like to know the effect of the 1955 wage increase of 3d an hour to waterfront workers, said that no evidence had been produced for the tribunal to go upon.

“It would be a very difficult job indeed to extract this information,’’ said Mr Blakeley. The cost would vary from ship to ship, and could never be known, for some ships called only once at New Zealand.