Higher Pay Agreed Soon After Award

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30365, 14 February 1964, Page 12

Higher Pay Agreed Soon After Award

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 13. Barely two weeks after reaching agreement on a new award, the New Zealand Carpenters’ Union has reached agreement with certain Wellington and Auckland employers for pay rates |d an hour in excess of the new award rates. This was stated today by the secretary of the union (Mr W. F. Molineux).

Since the end of conciliation council proceedings on January 28, a number of the more progressive builders who valued good employeremployee relations had entered into separate agreements, said Mr Molineux. “The agreement provides for a wage rate of 8s 7d an hour, or £l7 3s 4d a week, for tradesmen covered by the carpenters’ award and provides for a further automatic increase should there be a general wage order increasing wage rates during the term of the agreement,” he said. The award minimum rate was 7s 5d an hour, he said. The agreement covered work within a 40-mile. radius of the Wellington G.P.O. and a 56-mile radius of Auckland G.P.O. All workers covered by the agreement would receive a minimum payment of one hour a day travelling time, plus any travelling time in excess of one hour when required under the award. The new agreemnt would increase apprentice wages by

nearly £1 weekly, from £4 Ils to £5 9s 10id in the first 1000 hours. In the second 1000 hours of the apprenticeship, wages would be raised from £lO 19s weekly to £3 4s 4d, he said.

The decision to pay apprentices a percentage of the new agreement for tradesmen instead of a percentage of basic award rates for tradesmen showed the builders were taking positive action to attract boys to the industry. They had also acted to retain workers when they complete their apprenticeship, said Mr Molineux.

The union had agreed not to be a party to any action to enforce payments in excess of those agreed and this had been endorsed by the workers.