SUNDAY WORK

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 201, 22 May 1936, Page 12

SUNDAY WORK

Double, Not Treble, Wages To Be Paid VITAL AMENDMENTS Council Committee Alters Factories Bill Several important alterations to the .Factories Amendment Bill, as passed by the House of Representatives, have been made by the Labour Bills Committee of the Legislative Council. It is proposed by the Committee that the provisions of the Bill should come into force on July 1, instead of June 1; also that the operation of the 40-hour week should synchronise with that of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitrat ion Amendment Bill as from September 1. A vital amendment has been made in the clause dealing with wages payable for holidays. Under the Bill as passed by the House of Representatives it was stipulated that a worker should be entitled to payment for holidays as, enumerated in the measure if he had been employed for any time during 14 days prior to the holiday. This would have enabled an employee who was employed by several employers to claim payment for the holiday from each employer. The committee’s amendment makes it clear that the worker shall be paid only once for the holiday. Regarding Sunday work, the Bill, as passed by the House, stipulated that any worker employed on a Sunday could claim double rates in addition to ordinary pay, this being equal to treble time The amendment made by the committee provides that in any factory where work is regularly performed on a Sunday any worker shall be entitled to one day's pay for Sunday work in addition to his ordinary week’s pay—that is,-he will receive double pay for the Sunday. Wool dumping factories and low-tem-perature coal carbonisation factories have been added by the committee to the schedule of industries exempted from the operation of the 40-hour week. The committee reported the Bill back lo the Council at 4.30 p.m. yesterday with amendments, and shortly thereafter the Council rose. The amended measure will be considered by the Council to-day, beginning at 11 a.m. PARAPARAUMU CAMPS Closing Soon as Possible Tlie intention of the Government to ciose all unemployment camps as soon as suitable alternative arrangements could bo made, was announced by the .Minister of Labour, Hon. H. T. Armstrong, in replying to a question asked by Mr. L. G. Ik>wry (Government, Otaki), in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. Lowry asked the Minister whether in view of the approaching winter and the public works policy recently announced, he would make a statement regarding the future welfare of the 291 men in camps at I’araparanmu, the majority of whom were returned soldiers. "The policy of the Government has been very carefully considered in relation to camps of this type, and it is intended to close them as soon as suitable alternative provision can be made for the men affected,” said Mr. Armstrong. ‘'The position in respect of the I’araparaumu camp.-/ is complicated by the fact that not all of the men are suited to heavier work, and some special consideration may have to be given to their case.

“So far as the remainder are concerned, ray present feeling Is that they should be transferred from the improvement of private farm lands to work on a. Government land development block, where they would have a chance of obtaining a section when it is settled." Mr. Armstrong said his inquiries were not yet sufficiently near to finality to permit of a definite announcement, but he would advise Mr. Lowry as soon as it had been decided what were the best arrangements that could be made for the men at Paraparaumu.