WAGES AND HOURS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 254, 23 July 1936, Page 13

WAGES AND HOURS

Retailers Think New Laws Oppressive CHRISTCHURCH FEARS By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, July 22. Christchurch retailers at a widely attended general meeting to-day condemned the imposition of compulsory increases in wages and shorter hours as oppressive. The meeting which comprised practically all employing parties to the shop assistants’ award, passed a motion expressing this criticism and suggesting that the effect of the new industrial conditions should be observed for a period before a compulsory shortening of shopping hours is imnosed. In’ tentative schemes of hours to comply with the legislation employers have been working on a basis of the 44-hour week laid down in the Shops and Offices Act. Most -shops now work 46 hours. To make the necessary reduction the elimination of either the late night on Friday or Saturday morning hours will be ne cessary, but so far it has not been found possible to decide which of the two could best be spared. Some cm ployers favour a change in the morning opening hours, together with a possible shortening of the Friday late night. An entirely different and from the employers’ point of view a more difficult situation will be created if the employees succeed in an application to the Arbitration Court to have the 40-hour week applied to retail shops.