Service leave extended

Press, 30 October 1981, Page 4

Service leave extended

Rubber workers in Canterbury will be able to take 10 weeks annual leave under a voluntary collective agreement settled in Christchurch yesterday. However, they must have first completed 40 years service with the same employer.

All rubber workers in Canterbury get the statutory three weeks annual leave provided for under the Annual. Holidays Act, but as they extend their length of service their annual holiday gets longer. After seven years they get an extra week.

They then have to wait until they have completed 15 years service, before they get what is called a special holiday of two weeks. The next step comes after 25 years service when they get an extra three weeks special

leave to bring the total annual leave to seven weeks.

Under the present award, if they complete 30 years service they get three weeks special holiday, but this will increase to four weeks from next month, while' those with 35 to 40 years service will get a five-week special holiday and those with 40 or more years service will get four weeks annual leave plus six weeks special holiday. The new agreement also provides for a 10 per cent wage increase and an increase in service, allowances of about 15 per cent. A worker with more than six months service gets a service allowance which will rise to about $3.20, while the top service allowance will be about $l5 a week for those with more than six years service.