MOTOR GARAGES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 252, 21 July 1936, Page 16

MOTOR GARAGES

Employers Seek Extension Of Hours ATTENDANTS 44 HOURS BY AGREEMENT Employers affected by the Dominion motor mechanics’ award, together with a number of other individual applicants, applied in the Arbitration Court yesterday for a working week of 44 hours, to be worked on six days of the week. The case was heard by Mr. Justice Page, who had with him Mr. W. Cecil Prime (employers’ assessor) and Mr. A. L. Monteith (workers’ assessor).

Mr. D. I. Macdonald, acting on behalf of the N.Z, Motor Trades Federation, .appeared for the employers, and Mr. Adam Black and Mr. A. W. Croskery for the Wellington and Canterbury workers respectively. Mr. Macdonald said that for special reasons he had classified the employees under four different headings, as follows :—

Motor mechanics and other employees in general garages engaged in ordinary servicing and repair work. Employees of petrol service stations whether run in conjunction with garages or not and which supply petrol and oil, do greasing and other general servicing.

Employees of passenger and goods transport companies who are employed to service the vehicles of these companies. Employees of motor-cycle dealers who are engaged on similar work on motor-cycles. On Mr. Macdonald’s assurance that there was a goqd prospect of agreement with respect to garage attendants, his Honour granted a- short adjournment. The parties returned to court to announce that the hours of work for this section had been fixed at 44 a week exclusive of overtime, to be worked on six days of the week. These conditions were included in the present Wellington 25-mile radius award as it affected garage attendants. Mr. Croskery said the workers would accept the inclusion of the agreement in a later application which would deal with all the working conditions in the motor industry. Service to Public. Addressing the court in regard to the remaining sections covered by the application, Mr. Macdonald said the motor garage industry was required in some branches to give distinct service to the public on seven days of the week. New Zealand had a high proportion of motorcars to population.' With a shorter working week in many industries there would be an enormous increase in week-end motoring. The'industry was more subject than most to the competition of “back-yard” firms. The new legislation would result in an increased labour cost of one-fifth, which considering the fact that modern motor repair work was largely a question of labour would make it impossible to carry on the industry efficiently. There were not sufficient qualified mechanics available to meet - the needs of the industry, even at present. Fridays and Saturdays were the busiest days for garages, so that the abolition of Saturday work would be a serious inconvenience to the public. Dealing with motor garages, Mr. Macdonald said the continuous demand for repairing of breakdowns and for general service right throughout the week was an argument against any restriction of working hours. An essential feature of the service was the parking of cars for short or long periods, the biggest demand being for short period parking during the weekends. If this service were abolished the parking problem would become more acute for local authorities. Passengers and goods transport companies. said Mr. Macdonald, in many cases employed their own mechanics, who must be on hand when the vehicles returned to the garage. The passenger services were especially busy in the weekends, and mechanics had to be available on at least six days of the week. The exclusion of the officers of transport companies from the closing-hour provisions of the Shops and Offices Act showed these companies had a claim for special consideration. Continuous Service. C. R. Edmonds, manager of Todd Motors Ltd., said his-firm provided a 24hour service on the seven days of the week. For some months past there had been a shortage of efficient mechanics, although the wages had been raised. To Mr. Croskery, witness said his firm could carry on under a 40-hour week with sufficient mechanics, provided they were not limited to a five-day week. To Mr. Black he said the firm’s assembly plant worked a 40-hour week because it did not employ such a large percentage of competent mechanics. H. E. Avery, general manager of Avery Motors Ltd., Wellington, said it was essential to have a nucleus staff in attendance in the evenings, and also on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Over the last six months the overtime averaged 104 hours a man, and under a 40-hour week this would increase to 208. Witness said he considered it would be impossible to give service to the public without Saturday morning work. H. Anderson, general manager of Magnus Motors Ltd., denied that into employed at the petrol pumps did any great amount of minor repair work. The following witnesses were called by Mr. Macdonald as representatives of passenger and goods transport companies: C. L. Bishop, secretary of the New Zealand Motor Omnibus Proprietors’ Association; H. J. Knight, secretary of the New Zealand Passenger Services’ Federation and of the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance; S. A. Goldiugham, Palmerston North; W. R. O’Fee, managing director of South Road Services Ltd., Balclutha. Each of these witnesses testified to the necessity of having mechanics always available for the regular checking over of vehicles. At the conclusion of this evidence Mr. Macdonald intimated that an agreement had been reached extending the period of continuous work without a meal from four to five hours for mechanics employed by transport companies. Addressing the court, Mr. Croskery said that witnesses who had neither ndvertif?e<l nor applied to the union could not say there was a shortage of qualified mechanics. The whole question seemed to rest on the payment of overtime, and that could be overcome by the employment of other hands, which was the object of the legislation. The employers had not shown it was inconvenient to close their premises on a Saturday. -■ Mr. Black said that “back-yard ’ competition was found in every trade, and the union had proposed to the employers that the new award should deal with the matter. The transport companies had not made out a -case for extra hours in their part of the industry.. The court reserved its decision.