WORKERS ON TRAWLERS

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 42, 13 November 1936, Page 3

WORKERS ON TRAWLERS

Arbitration Court Reserves

Decision

The wages, hours of work ahd holidays of men employed on three Wellington trawlers were referred to the Arbitration Court yesterday for determination. Mr. F. P. Walsh represented the workers, and Mr. H. J. Bishop the employers.

The wage rates claimed by the workers were £6/5/- a week for leading hands; £5/10/- for deek hands, and £6/10/- for firemen-greasers; in addition, a bounty of Id. a basket for cleaning. Mr. Walsh said he had agreed a week previouslv with the owners of the trawlers out of Lyttelton for an all-round wage of £5 10/-, plus Id. a basket. Weekly payment of wages instead of monthly was'sought by the workers; also a 40-hour week, and an annual holiday of 14 days or proportion thereof for less than one year's service. The Auckland award provided an eight-hour day all round, said Mr. Walsh. At present, deckhands on the Wellington boats worked no regular hours. Firemen worked eight hours a day on one boat and 12 hours on another. An eight-hour day was asked for work done in port by deckhands, engineers and stokers. Mr. Walsh declared that the work was so arduous that it demanded shorter hours; in fact, it was difficult to secure Englishmen, and most of the workers were Italian.

A witness stated that he performed a variety of work and put in an average of 70 to 80 hours a week.

Mr. Bishop said the bounty of Id. a basket for cleaning worked out at £l/7/6 a week for each man. The wage rates offered by the employers were £5/1/6 for leading hands, £3/IS/G for deek hands, and £4/3/1 for firemen and firemengreasers. No cut on these rates had been imposed during the lean years. Seven days’ annual holiday was proposed, and a working week with no limitation as to hours.

Evideru'e was given by Mr. R. S. Alward, managing director of New Zealand Fisheries, Limited, Wellington. The court reserved its decision.