MINERS’ WAGES

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 173, 10 April 1923, Page 9

MINERS’ WAGES

A SMALL INCREASE ARBITRATION COURT DECISION EFFECT ON TIME AND PIECE RATES

BY TELEGRAPH.—MESS ASSOCIATION. Auckland, April 9. An increase in the rates p.aid to coalminers throughout the Dominion is the first pronouncement made by the Arbitration Court as now constituted. Mr. Justice Frazer presided, and with him were Messrs. W. Scott and H. Hunter, assessors. The exact method by which the court reached its decision is explained in Mr. Justice Frazer’s judgment, which is ,as- follows

“That the excess rates of remuneration over and above the standard rates, so fixed, defined by each of the said awards and industrial agreements, shall be diminished in the ratio which 57.76 bears to 41.31. This order shall operate and take effect as from the Ist day of May, 1923, and continue in force during the currency of each respective award and industrial agreement or until such time as the Court otherwise orders. This order shall be deemed to be incorporated in and form part of each of the said awards and industrial agreements respectively, as from the Ist day of May, 1923. This order is made in accordance •with the provisions of the clause headed ‘Variation of Rates appearing in the different coalmines’ awards and industrial agreements. “The rates fixed by awards and industrial agreements are, in tho case of time rates, 60 per cent, above the rates payable in 1914, and in the case of piecework rates 50 per cent, above the, 1914 rates. The increases of 60 per cent, and 50 per cent, were adopted from the national agreement made in February, 1920,; which provided for these increases on the basis of price statistics for food for the month of January, 1920, which then showed an increase of 57.76 per cent, over the prices ruling in July, 1914. The Court accordingly decided to base the subsequent six-monthly increases and reductions of rates on the percentage of the increase or decrease disclosed by the Government Statistician’s returns of food prices for March and September of each year. The 57.76 per cent, increase of January, 1920, was represented by increases of 41.21 per cent, in March, 1922, 39.44 per cent, in September, 1922, and 41.31 per cent, in March, 1923. “The variations in the rates of remuneration payable to coalminers do not coincide with the variations in the rates of remuneration of other workers whose cost of living adjustments are based on all groups. The last reduction in rates for miners was a small' one, and the effect of the present order is to increase their rates by a fraction more than the amount of that reduction: that is, the new rates will be, roughly, equal to those payable for the half-year May to October., 1922. The standard rates are equivalent to 100-160th of the time rates and 100-150ths of the piecework rater set out in the awards and industrial agreements. The present increase, as in the case of former reductions, applies only to the remaiing 60-160tns and 50-150th respectively. “By way of illustration, we give two examples of the effect of this order on time and piece ratios. The time rates of 16s. is made up of 10s. standard rate and 6s. excess rate. The order of April 24, 1922, reduced the 6s. in the ratio of 57.76 to 41.21; that is, to 4s. 3d., making the total rate 14s. 3d.; and the order of October 7, 1922, reduced the 6s. in the ratio of 57.76 to 39.44; that is, to 4s. Id., making the total rate 14s Id. The present order reduces the 6s. in the ratio of 57.76 to 41.31; that is, to 4s. 3d., making the total rate 14s. 3d., or 2d. more than the present rate.

“The piecework rate of 7s. 6d. is made up of ss. standard rate and 2s. Gd. excess rate. The order of April 24, 1922, reduced 2>, 6d. in the ratio of 57.76 to 41.21; that is,' to Is. 9Jd., making a, total rate of 6s. 9|d., and the order of October 7, 1922, reduced 2s. 6d. in tho ratio of 57.76 to ‘39.44; than is, to Is. 6Jd., making a total rare of '6s. 3£d. . The present order reduces "Tie 2s. 6<L in the ratio of 57.76 to 41.31; that is, to le. 9|d., making the total rate 6s. 9d., or Id. mors than tho present rate.”