Four-day week FIRM’S OFFER TO STAFF

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32563, 24 March 1971, Page 1

Four-day week FIRM’S OFFER TO STAFF

(By our industrial reporter)

The first four-day week for Christchurch workers has been offered to panel-beaters by English Motors, Ltd. Their proposal is that 10 hours should be worked each day, the last two at overtime rates.

Mr R. W. Pannell, one of the firm’s two working partners, said yesterday that the decision had been taken in an effort to attract skilled workers.

The president of the Canterbury branch of the Motor Builders’ Union of Employers (Mr K. Rogers) said the move would upset the whole labour force right through the town, but English Motors, Ltd, would not have any trouble getting panelbeaters.

One of his own tradesmen had applied for a job with English Motors, said Mr Rogers. Mr Pannell said there was a shortage of panel-beaters in Christchurch, and recent advertisements by his firm had failed to attract a single application. Since offering a four-day week, however, there had been a number of applications, and he hoped to take on another four tradesmen.

Award rate Mr Pannell said the men were being offered the award rate—which he gave as $57.68 basic —with two hours a day ’ at time and a half, plus $3.09 a week meal money. Excluding the meal money, this amounted to $63.45 for 40 i hours, an average of $1.59 an i hour. He doubted if there was a panel-beater in Christ-

church who would work for the award rate, said Mr Pannell, and in his opinion the ruling or going rate for tradesmen was $1.50 an hour or a little more.

Even so, and although their rate would be based strictly • on the award, the English Motors panel-beaters would earn slightly more and would enjoy the advantage of threeday week-ends. Normal week The firm would work over the normal week, but half . the workers would be rostered off on Mondays and the other half on Fridays, he said. Mr Rogers agreed that there was a shortage of panel beaters, but maintained that the majority of staff in a number of firms were on the basic award. Although other firms were paying “fancy rates,” there was not the big margin over

the award that there used to be, he said. The English Motors proposal was a “bit frightening.” Wellington firm “If this starts you never know where it will end. Next thing they will be on a threeday week.” As far as is known, no South Island workers are at present on a four-day week. A firm in the Wellington district is observing the same hours proposed by English Motors, and a Christchurch clothing manufacturer started a four-and-a-half-day week earlier this year,