Paparua reduces workers’ hours

Press, 26 August 1980, Page 6

Paparua reduces workers’ hours

Good weather this winter

resulted in 47 outdoors workers employed by the , Paparua County Council having their working hours reduced from 81 hours to eight hours a day, according to the count?/ engineer, Mr J. D. Annan. The cuts had been . introduced because spending had been “significantly” above that anticipated in the budget, he told a meeting of the - council’s finance committee yesterday. The shorter hours would mean a saving of about 4 per cent over the year. It might be possible tc revert to the 81-hour day later in the financial year. The deputy county engineer. Mr G. L. Tapper, said 46 workers who ran plant and machinery, maintained waterworks, roads, buildings, and reserves, and who made refuse collections were affected by the cuts. The cuts had been introduced on August 4. The recent good weather meant that more work than usual had been done and this had resulted in an increase in spending on plant, machinery, and materials. Outdoors work had had a

budget of nearly $BOO,OOO. Without the cut in hours there would be a deficit of about $32,000. Cr R. S. Mayers said, he had heard of the cut when workers had asked him for an explanation. Since then the council had received a letter from unions asking for a meeting to discuss the matter.

Cr A. Y. Shuker said he was extremely concerned about the cuts, which meant that workers could receive $3O gross less a week. He asked why the budget had been exceeded. Cr H. W. Bennet said the extra half hour a day had been introduced 15 years ago when the council had been prevented from giving workers a pay rise. Cr J. C. Wilson questioned whether the council had the right to reduce workers’ hours without giving them a reason. He said councillors had been given no information on how much the budget had been overspent and why. Cr P. K. Keller said it did not so much matter why the budget had been overspent. “It does not alter the fact that there has been a large

decrease in the hours worked by outside staff,” he said. “If their income drops there could be quite a drop in their standard of living, which will affect their families.” ■ He moved that the extra half hour a. day be reinstated immediately. However, the meeting decided to wait for council staff to provide more information at the full council meeting next Monday. A reply to the union’s letter would also be delayed until after that meeting. No theatre grant The meeting recommended that the council reject a request to contribute to the purchase of the Theatre Royal. A letter from the Theatre Royal Group asked the council to consider a contribution along the lines of one made by the Christchurch City Council, which gave $lO,OOO. Cr Shuker said that at this time of the year the council had committed all of its funds and had no money to make a grant. The request had come too late in the year.