PRINTING TRADES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 207, 30 May 1938, Page 11

PRINTING TRADES

40-Hour Week For Female Employees NEW AWARD FILED A 40-hour week for female pronting trades employees is embodied in the new award covering workers within a 10-mile radius of Wellington which has been filed by the Second Court of Arbitration.

The award is to operate regarding wages as from May 23, and as regards other Conditions as from May 27, and Is to remain in force until December 31, 1938. No worker may be employed for more than 4J hours continuously without a meal interval. By mutual agreement the meal interval may be less than three-quarters of an hour. Minimum wages are according to a scale which ranges from £l/3/6 at commencement to £2/19/- after the fifth year. Overtime is to be paid at the rate of time and a half. Nine annual holidays are to be observed and workers are allowed one week’s annual leave on full pay. . “The principal matters referred to the court were hours and wages,’’ said Mr. 1 Justice Hunter in a memorandum. •‘With regard to hours, the court is impressed by the fact that in connection with, the'recent award made by the Court of Arbitration dealing with this industry throughout the Dominion, except in the Auckland and Wellington city areas, and made in accordance with complete recommendations, the hours of work for female workers were agreed on by the parties at 42 hours, and the hours for male workers-at 40 hours. In this case, however, there has been no agreement of the parties, and the question has been left to the court to decide.

“The court has been frankly informed by the employers that, but for the fact that the overtyue to be worked by females is limited by statute, there would be no difficulty in fixing the hours for female workers at 40, as in the case of the men. A majority of the court is of opinion that, under these circumstances, to approve of the hours for female workers being fixed at more than 40 where the parties have not agreed to do so would savour of fathering a device to defeat the object of the Legislature and that the industry as a whole should direct its attention to obtaining a Dominion award which will remedy the present chaotic position in regard to hours and wages, and for this reason the court has short-dated this award.

“In respect to wages the court has fixed a scale commencing at £l/3/6 a week, which is the rate prescribed in the current award. We have fixed the rate for journeywomen at £2/19/- a week, being 1/- a week in excess of the rate fixed by the recent award made by the Court of Arbitration dealing with the industry throughout the Dominion except in the Auckland and Wellington city areas in accordance with the agreement of the parties. “Mr. Croskery does not agree with the majority of the court on this point, on the ground that it does not maintain the ratio of the female to the male rate which formerly existed, but does not desire to record a formal dissent. On the other hapd, Mr. Duff thinks that the scale of wages is too high, but also refrains from recording a formal dis-' sent.”

Dissenting vpuuon. “I dissent from the provisions of this • award governing the hours "of work tor female workers,” said Mr. V. Duff. “At the hearing of the dispute the employers asked the court to incorporate 'the hours provision contained in the so-called Dominion award—that is, the award operating throughout the Dominion excepting those areas lying within radii of 10 miles of the cities of Auckland and Wellington—issued by the other court as recently as March 31. Those provisions were the result, of an agreement of the parties in conciliation council, “Uncontradicted evidence was given at the hearing of this dispute that the work of female operators is complementary to that of male workers, and that owing to the statutory restriction on overtime which may be worked by females, the extended hours asked for are necessary to enable the industry to be carried on efficiently. Moreover, an extension of hours was granted by the court on August 26, 1936, and an extension has been agreed upon by the parties in the two Dominion awards made since that date.” Mr. Duff went on to quote from a memorandum to the March Dominion award, in which a 42-hour week was prescribed, and in which it was stated that the award involved no contravention of the Factories Act. The position was now created of a national industry being subject to varying conditions in different districts. The new award departed from the agreement of the parties to the Dominion award and from two previous decisions of the court.