'Rangatira wage report misleading’

Press, 7 August 1976, Page 4

'Rangatira wage report misleading’

Cooks and stewards had been unjustifiably labelled the bogy in the Rangatira service, said the president of the Canterbury Progress League (Mr D. S. McKenzie).

Mr McKenzie said yesterday that a trip to Wellington in the Rangatira on Tuesday night had been an eye-opener to him.

After speaking with a number of stewards, Mr McKenzie said, he was convinced that reports that phenomenal wages were being earned in the Rangatira were misle-I-ing. In fact, cooks and stewards worked nearly 50 per cent longer than a person on a 40hour week, he said. While cooks and stewards had average gross earnings of $9900 a year, this amounted to only $6600 when measured against a 40-hour week—a modest enough salary bv today's standards. Mr McKenzie said that public misunderstanding of the cooks and stewards’ position caused many to hesitate before signing the "Save the Rangatira” petition. "Cooks and stewards hr.ve not been prepared to defend their position.” he said. Mr McKenzie was travelling to Wellington to present submissions, seeking the retention of the Rangatira, to Parliament’s Petitions Committee.

An examination of the maritime composite award lends weight to Mr McKenzie’s comments. Members of the Cooks and r twards Union work weekly shifts—week on, week off. The normal working day begins at 6 a.m., or earlier for the kitchen staff, and union members remain on call until between 10 pm. and 11 p.m. This gives a working day of 17 hours, inclusive of meal hours, and a total of 119 hours for the week, compared with 80 hours the day worker would work during a fort-

night. . The Rangatira carries 56 cooks and stewards at one time. Of these, 30 are on the assistant steward’s rate of $9883 per annum, inclusive of the recent 7.5 per cent cost of living wage order.

In addition there are five stewardesses, at $BB5O, four waiters at $9900, three assistant pantrymen at $10,300, and three night watchmen at $9883.

The Rangatira also carries one each of the following — chief cook at $12,000, second cook at $lO,OOO, third cook (a qualified butcher) at $9250, scullion at $9256, linen keeper at $9900. storekeeper at $lO,lOO, pantryman at $10,900, head waiter at $lO,BOO. senior second steward at $12,100, second steward at $11,770, and extra second steward at $11,400. The chief steward is in another union. He is regarded as a permanent em-

ployee and is classed as an officer, receiving just on $12,000. Cooks and stewards receive an aggregate wage, which means there are no penal rates for working statutory holidays. On the basis of the figures contained in the award the Government would be paying an average of $9969 a year for each union member employed—not the huge fivefigure salaries frequently quoted.