Council cuts working week to 40 hours

Press, 2 September 1980, Page 6

Council cuts working week to 40 hours

A reduction in working hours for 46 Paparua County Council staff caused a lively debate at last evening’s council meeting. h • The working week-'.for outside staff has been Cut from 42.5 hours to 40 hours.,

. According to the county engineer (Mr J. D. Annan),the reduction had .been made because works expenditure was increasing at 5 per cent more than allowed for in the estimates. ; .;/•;<

A report said there was a 23.7 per cent rise in laboui costs in the first 10 pay periods of this financial year, compared with the same period last year. The ; reduction in hours would mean a corresponding drop in the use of plant and materials, which woulflhelp to reduce the 5 per cent increase in works expenditure, Mr Annan said. - , Mr Annan’s; report; outlining reasons for the reduction was attacked by Cr A. Y. Shukeq '.who, said that it was not informative enough and was mere “waffle.” There were no figures to show that increased labour costs were totally responsible for the extra expenditure?Mr Annan had not written > the

report, although his signature was on it, Cr Shuker said. Mr Annan said he accepted .responsibility for the report 'and had ’written• part of it. He agreed that it was not: factually complete and said that he had hot wanted to mislead the council with information he was not yet sure of. . . Cr W. J. Baker said he felt, teat there was nothing else to do but to , keep the working week for the 46 staff members down to 40 hours until more money could be found. The meeting was told that the county engineer was entitled to cut the working week to 40 hours, arid that the 46 staff members had been hired with the option of overtime by arrangement with the employers. The meeting voted; to defer any,decision on reinstating the 42,5 hour. week or on holding talks with the three unions concerned until the next finance committee meeting on September 29. A scale of -maximum fines for parking offences was passed by the council. The scale is: for offences

of 30 mintues or less, $4; 30 minutes to one hour, $7; one hours to- four hours, $l5; hours to . ofur hours, , $l5; more than four hours, $l7.

Outward Bound

The successful applicant for the Paparua County Council’s sponsorship to, the Outward Bound School at Ahakiwa, /Miss Mary Fairhail, was named last evening. Miss Fairhall was chosen from three applicants to receive the council’s sponsorship and payment of half the course, which runs for 24 days and costs $440.

She is a nurse, aged 20, from Waterholes Road, Templeton, and her hobbies include the piano, reading, cooking, and scuba diving.

Patriotism A patriotic step was taken by the council last evening when it passed a motion to fly the New Zealand flag in its chambers permanently. At present the flag is draped over a front desk, "like being draped over a coffin,” during citizenship ceremonies only.