Shearers’ pay ’may exceed award’

Press, 23 June 1978, Page 2

Shearers’ pay ’may exceed award’

I Canterbury farmers are ‘entitled under the Shearers Sand Shed Hands’ Award to pay" shearers above award rates, according to an executive member of the Workers’ Union (Mr J. W. Ayers). Mr Ayers, who is also a shearer, said at Rangiora yesterday that clause 25 of the award gave Canterbury farmers the right to negotiate rates with shearers. Clause 25 says that the award does not disallow agreements between groups of fanners and shearers where there has been a his-

tory of such agreements. Mr Ayers said Canterbury farmers had been negotiating shearing rates with shearers for at least 20 years. Shearers and shed hands are members of the Workers’ Union. Mr Ayers was replying to the chairman of the North Canterbury Federated Farmers meat and wool executive (Mr M. R. Murchison) who criticised Canterbury farmers on Wednesday for paying shearers above award rates. Mr Ayers accused Mr

Murchison of trying to cause trouble between shearers and farmers, who had come to their own amicable agreements. Mr Murchison said some Canterbury farmers were paying up to $3 more per 100 sheep shorn than the Canterbury award rate of $34.16. He called for solidarity among farmers and urged them to pay only the award rate.

However, according to Mr Ayers, some Canterbury farmers are prepared to pay shearers as much as $39 per

100 sheep to have their flocks shorn. “They realise the problems shearers have and are prepared to pay them for their I trouble,” he said. j Canterbury was not an easy place for shearers to work because of the many small runs, the variety of breeds, and the remoteness of some runs, said Mr Ayers. • On another issue, Mr Ayers said many farmers did not realise that about 85 per cent of all shearers worked for contractors, not farmers.