45-hour Week Resumed On Construction Jobs

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30146, 1 June 1963, Page 10

45-hour Week Resumed On Construction Jobs

New developments yesterday in the ban on labouring work by tradesmen members of the Canterbury Carpenters’ Union, included the dispatch of a note to ail master builders in the Christchurch area, instructing them not to engage any carpenters previously engaged in Christchurch work until further notice.

The secretary of the Canterbury Amalgamated Carpenters’ Union, Mr F. Langley, said that, as a result of the combined effort of the carpenters’ and labourers’ unions to ban overtime on all Fletcher Construction Company jobs, the company yesterday decided to reintroduce the normal overtime for carpenters and labourers in Christchurch.

A spokesman for the construction company, denied that pressure from the unions was the real reason for the company rescinding its earlier decision.

The company on Thursday morning had reduced the hours of labour for carpenters on the Canterbury University Ham block to 40 hours a week. This was accepted by carpenters on the job. Carpenters employed on this company’s seven other jobs also decided on Thursday to work only 40 hours a week. The construction company

spokesman said the company yesterday went back to a 45-hour week because so many carpenters’ wives Had been telephoning to say they could not meet their commitments, with 40-hour week wages. “The wives asked: ‘Was there any chance of their husbands working overtime’?” he said.

"We have gone back to a 45-hour week to try to help them. The whole economy of New Zealand is based on overtime —nori on a 40-hour week.’’

Late yesterday the tradesmen’s ban on labouring work was still confined to 11 jobs and -three major construction companies. A Master Builders’ Association official spokesman said he could not give any information on the note sent out to master builders with the instructions not to engage any carpenters previously engaged in Christ - church work.

Rubbish Fire.—Rubbish on the back of a truck parked in a yard at the corner of Montreal street and Hazeldean road caught fire late yesterday afternoon. Units from Sydenham and Central attended. There was no damage.