Employers Claim Evidence Untrue

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29831, 25 May 1962, Page 10

Employers Claim Evidence Untrue

(Aew Zeuiana Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 24.

Employers had checked evidence given yesterday about workers being paid minimum award rates and found it untrue, the employers’ advocate, Mr P. J. Luxford, today told the Court of Arbitration, hearing the application for a 10.4 per cent, general wage order increase.

He said the first example quoted by witnesses had overnight been found to be completely ■ wrong “Each and every one of the employees referred to was found to be receiving considerable sums in excess of minimum award rates" Mr Luxford suggested that the same error would exist with the other examples quoted yesterday

He was referring to six union officials called yesterday by the workers’ advocate Mr F P Walsh who gave evidence that a large number of workers in their respective unions were receiving minimum award rates

Mr Luxford said one of the workers he had checked on was on an award -ate of about £lO a week but was actually receiving about £2O Others were receiving lesser margins.

Mr Walsh said that if Mr Luxford produced the wage documents concerned he would be satisfied if any errors had been made Mr A P O'Shea, for the Sheepowners' Union, said he would like to express regret for having cast aspersions on the Trades Council at Wellington for paying the caretaker of the Trades Hall the minimum rate

He now learned that the caretaker was being paid considerably above the minimum.

Mr Walsh said the evidence given by Mr J. Collins about the caretaker of the Trades Hall being on a minimum rate concerned a caretaker no longer there. The present caretaker received 30s a week above the minimum rate and he was also paid 10 hours' overtime a week whether he worked it or not

Mr Justice Tyndall commented later that the evidence about the caretaker was the only evidence he was completely satisfied about yesterday—which was not very good judgment on his part.

He added that all yesterday’s evidence could not be regarded as having been rebutted. The wage sheets would show the position His Honour said be would call for the wage dockets or wage sheets of the employers concerned or get a Labour Department inspector to look at the wage books on the Court’s behalf Later, during Mr Walsh’s final submissions, his Honour said that statistics indicated that the average ruling rate for adult male workers in New Zealand would be something more than 17 per cent above the average minimum award rate for adult males. (Mr Walsh’s Filial Address, Page X)