PRESERVING FACTORIES

Press, Volume C, Issue 29625, 22 September 1961, Page 13

PRESERVING FACTORIES

Wage Rises For

Workers

Wage increases are given to workers in food preserving factories in a new award issued by the Arbitration Court for the Taranaki, Wellington (except Hawke's Bay), Marlborough, Nelson and Canterbury districts. The award applies to manual workers and uncertiflcated laboratory workers in the factories.

The award provides increases of 4s 2d a week for adult male workers. Is 8d a week for males aged 18 to 23. 2s 6d for adult females, 10d for females under 18, and Is 8d for females aged 18 to 20. Adult females employed as casuals (less than a week) will be paid a minimum of 4s IJd an hour (an increase of Jd an hour), and workers in charge of three or more other workers will be paid 16s 8d a week extra, an increase of Is Bd.

Employers are now required to provide workers with suitable protective clothing, to be kept clean at the employers’ expense, where workers are employed in a refrigerated store or chamber in a temperature of 32degF, or less.

Normal hours of work are 40 a week, eight a day, between 7.30 a.m. and 5 p.m from Monday to Friday, provided that when the industry is working seven days a week, in lieu of any one day from Monday to Friday, female workers may be employed on Saturday and shall be paid, in addition to ordinary wages. half-time ra'es for the first four hours and ordinary time rates after that.

Wages provisions in the new award are retrospective to the first day of the working week in each establishment on or after August 25. The award is in force from September 20. 1961, to March 20, 1963. and is the result of a settlement arrived at in Conciliation Council.