Aust. Shearers Seek £68 A Week

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30542, 10 September 1964, Page 6

Aust. Shearers Seek £68 A Week

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright)

SYDNEY, Sept. 9. Suitable insulation and air conditioning for all shearing sheds, a 35-hour week for all employees and a guaranteed weekly minimum wage of £6B for shearers are among the claims for a new Federal pastoral award submitted by the Australian Work e r s’ Union. Counterclaims have been submitted by the Graziers’ Association. No date has been fixed by the Commonwealth Arbitration Commission for a hearing on the claim and counterclaim.

Among the major claims of the union are for an increase per 100 sheep shorn from £8 12s 6d to £l5, an increase in the wages of shed hands from a present maximum of £26 14s to £4O and a 35-hour week of seven hours a day from Monday to Friday (at present 44 hours over a five and a half day working week). Rates claimed for shearers include treble rates for rams (presently double rates are paid), double rates for double fleece sheep and £3O per 100 where only wethers are shorn.

The union also claims a minimum weekly wage of £6O for cooks or at the rate of £5 a man as against the present rate a man of £2 9s 6d or £32 2s 6d at a fixed rate. New Allowances New allowances for fares and travelling are also included in the union’s claims, together with four weeks’ annual leave and two weeks’ cumulative sick leave each year. Australia’s major primary industry made the news another way this week with the announcement by the Federal Government of approval of the expenditure of £3,375,577 for sheep and wool research during 1964-65. Of this total £1,912,847 is earmarked for production research, including the training of shearers. Wool textile research programmes will get £1,365.450 and economic research £97,280.