SHEARERS’ AWARD

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 148, 19 March 1931, Page 8

SHEARERS’ AWARD

Payment of Shed Hands ' SUNDAY WORK QUESTION The Arbitration Court wag asked yesterday to decide whether the employer or the employees shall determine whether shed hands shall receive payment by the week or by the hour, and also if it is agreed at the commencement of the work that payment shall be by the week or by the hour, whether the arrangement shall continue until the shed or run of sheds cuts out. Mr. Justice Frazer presided, and had with him as assessors Messrs. W. Cecil Prime (for the employers) and A. L. Montie th (for the workers). Mr. A. Cook, secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, said that difficulty in the past had been created through employers starting to pay shed-hands by the week, and then when wet weather came on switching over to payment by the hour. A mutual arrangement, he claimed, should be come to before shearing commenced. His Honour said it was desirable that it should be decided who should determine whether payment should be made by the week or by the hour. The court vras also asked if it would be a breach of the Wellington district shearers’ and shed-hands’ award, 1926, if shearing were to be carried on between 4.30 p.m. on Saturdays and 5 a.m. on Mondays. Mr. Cook said that the Sunday shearing question was causing a good deal of friction. The union had taken action, but the police had stated that no. offence was committed unless the shearing was done in sight of a public road. The union would like to see shearing on Sundays made an offence both for employers and employees. Mr. Mountjoy, for the employers, said that the employers contended that the employer had the right to decide whether he would pay shed-bunds by the week or by the hour. The employers also contended that an arrangement made by one sheep-farmer as to the conditions of employment should not be binding on another farmer. With regard to shearing on Sundays, clause 2 of the .award fixed the hours of shearing from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., or from 5.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. The clause did not refer to Sunday; it fixed times and not days. Nowhere in the award was any restriction placed on work that may be performed on Sunday. The only stipulation contained in clause 2 of the award was that work on Saturdays must cease not later than 4 p.m. instead of at 5 p.m. or 5.30 p.m. on any other clay. His Honour said that the points raised were interesting, and the court would take time to consider them.