HOTEL WORKERS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 262, 1 August 1929, Page 3

HOTEL WORKERS

AMENDING THE LAW REQUESTS TO MINISTER Consideration of a number of requests, which require amendment to existing Acts, was promised a deputation representative of hotel and restaurant workers of New Zealand by the 'Minister of Labour (Hon. W. A. Veitch) yesterday.- , On behalf of the deputation, Mr. J. Niall said it was asked that one full day s holiday for hotel and restaurant workers, as at present provided by the A'l tration Court, be made, compulsory by Statute. This could be brought about by an amendment to section 38 of .the Shops and Offices Act. The secretary of the Department (Mr. F. W. Rowley) had been directed by the previous Minister of Labour to draft a clause to meet the wishes of the workers, but the clause drafted by Mr. Rowley had been so absurd that the lilinister had had to withdraw it. The deputation was also asking that there should be a provision that female workers shoidd not be called upon to work after 10.30 p ; m. What was required was that a provision made by the Reform Government —that employees in public dance halls could be called upon to work until any hour, provided there was a conveyance to take them home—should be repealed, as it was a breach of faith with the, union. Further, the deputation asked that provision be made that where it was proved that there had been breaches of award in regard to under-rayment, the Court should have power to order that the arrears be paid to the worker concerned without the worker having to take fresh action to recover those arrears. The deputation also asked that the law be amended so as to provide for nine assessors instead of six in all Dominion Conciliation Councils. A request that the Minister consider amending the law in the direction of giving workers more time in which to take action against employers in respect of under-payment of wages was made by Mr. R. A. Brooks.

Mr. J. Roberts said that at one time it had been the practice for the Legislature to show the Arbitration Court the way it should go. but nowadays it appeared to be the other way round. Recarding the citation of parties to a pronosed award, a tremendous amount of work could be saved if the union was viven. power to advertise its claims in the newspapers. He also rsked that the Minister amend the law to make it legal to form Dominion unions. In replying to the deputation, the Mlister said he was not,at all sure that the law should be amended to provide for the formation of Dominion unions, as that involved a very big principle. Hoyever. he would go into the matter. The other matters would receive bis careful consideration.