Musicians Seek Rise

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31208, 4 November 1966, Page 10

Musicians Seek Rise

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 2. New Zealand musicians should receive a realistic rate of pay in line with their abilities and skills, Mr T. E. Skinner told the Arbitration Court today.

Representing the Musicians’ Industrial Union, Mr Skinner said musicians here, paid on a lower scale than their Australian counterparts, spend years in practice and training, pay high tuition fees, supply their own instruments and are engaged to perform only when they have reached an accepted standard.

“The union claims that it must follow that these artists are skilled workers within the meaning of skill as pronounced by the Court in the recent printers’ case, commonly called the ‘margins for skill case’,” Mr Skinner said. He said that although a musician averages a 25 to 30-hour work week, many more hours’ practice and preparatory work are involved. “A week’s work has always been defined in terms of number of performances which, by agreement, has been written into the award as six with extra payment for any performncesa in addition to six,” Mr Skinner said. He said the employers had offered increases on the basis of a week’s work being eight performances. The musicians wanted any performances over six to be paid on an overtime basis.

The employers’ representative, Mr G. A. Turner, said that unlike other awards the weekly wages of this particular industry were not based on a 40-hour week. . . the average performance for which the workers

are employed is approximately three and a half hours and when employed by the week the normal number of performances is usually eight. This is made up of six evening performances and two matinees.”

He said that in assessing any increase the weekly wage should be increased only proportionately to what would be a similar increase for 40-hour week workers. The Court reserved its decision.