INDIGNANT EMPLOYERS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1146, 6 June 1911, Page 4

INDIGNANT EMPLOYERS.

HOLIDAYS AND OVERTIME.

On Friday Inst the master grocers of the city received a circular letter from Hie lk'i .(iiii-iit of Labour requiring liii'in to pay overtime rates to thosu ui' their nssistuiils ivlio uoriied tile previous Wednesday, on which day the snops hail been kept open in coneiiieration ol Ine lacl , that last Saturday was the King's birth-

Gonsiderablo feeling was created in tho city by the circular, because, us one of the employers said to a representative oi Tub Dominion, the custom lias been to interpret the Act to mean that tho shops could be kept open on the haltholiday in the week on which a whole holiday fell. Neither the Grocers' Union (under the terms of whose- award the demand of the Department was made) imr the Department had during the past nine or ten vears made u claim like this.

As similar awnrds to the one in question exist in other cities of the Dominion, it was felt by the local Employers' Federation to be a Dominion mutter, and the Advisory Board of the Federation yesterday brought the facts Of t'ho caso before the Minister for Labour (thb Hon. J. A. Millar). The .deputation, which was large and representative, was headed 1 Mr. W. Prior (secretary of the Federation).

The Minister said lie had had. no Hmo to consider the matter, having only seen the circular that day. He quoted interpretations of other Arbitration Court awards, notably the drivers' award, and submitted that these decisions were bindin',' upon the Department until they had advice to the contrary. Tiiis decision, upon which the circular complained of had been issued, was an interpretation, by the Arbitration Court, of the award. Tlio Minister, however, promised to get the advice of the Crown law officers upon the position.

"Do we understand there will lie a test case'r" asked Mr. Prior.

The Minister: "If we are advised you have to pay overtime and you won't, then we will take a test case."