BAKING INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 272, 13 August 1938, Page 8

BAKING INDUSTRY

Dominion Award Issued By Court WAGE INCREASES Forty-four Hour M eek Retained An increase of 5/- a week in wages to journeymen and increases on a slightly lower scale for juniors have been granted in the new Dominion award tor tne baking industry. In accordance with the court’s indication, the old hours of work, namely, 11 a week, have been retained. The term oi the award is two years.

The award was issued yesteidaj bj the Court of Arbitration, which hoard the dispute in Wellington toward the end of July. The court haying given a pronouncement on its attitude ovei hours, the major matters referred to it were wages, proportion of labourers, starting times and penalty rates. The memorandum of Mr. Justice O’Hegnu states: — The applicant union asked lor a uvhour week. The court made it clear at the outset of the hearing, however -that, as it had decided in 1936 that it was impracticable to carry on the industry in less than 44 Hours a week, the matter must be regarded as sett.ed, at any rate, until circumstances can be shown to have altered so radically that reconsideration is justifiable. The court has not been given sufficient information to enable it to frame specific definitions of the various classes of workers in a manner which would be satisfactory to the parties, and as definitions have not heretofore been included in the award, it has been decided to omit them m the meantime. Wages Increase. The announced intention of the court to grant an increase of 5/- a week to adult weekly workers has been given effect to, with smaller increases to some classes of juniors. The rates for females have been increased slightly in some cases only, as their rates in the past have been higher than in most awards affecting female workers. The question of penalty rates has been a matter of some difficulty. Admittedly the present rates are high compared with the extra rates payable to night shift workers in other industries, but as these rates were agreed on by the parties in 1936, and as bread prices were fixed after such rates were imposed, it has been decided to allow the present rates to stand in this award. The claim of the employers tor a lower scale of wages for juniors who do not commence work until after 6 a.m. has been considered. Apart from a statement by one witness to the effect that such a scale was desired, no evidence was given as to the extent to which junior labourers are employed on a later starting hour than 4 a.m. Junior rates have been agreed to by the parties on several occasions and the present claim does not appear to have been before the court previously. Consequently the court does not feel that it should make an innovation at present by providing a differential scale.

Proportion of Labourers.

The proportion of labourers to journeymen in automatic bakeries was also a matter of considerable difficulty. The case of Inspector of Awards v. Walter Buchanan, Ltd. (Book of'Awards, Voy. 2, XXXVII, p. 2845), shows , that the parties were not of one opinion as to the exact effect and meaning of the clause relating to proportion of labourers to journeymen in automatic bakeries. A new clause has been inserted which is designed to allow a tea sonable proportion of labourers to be employed. An application was made by the employers’ advocate to have proprietors of home-made cake shops in the Canterbury industrial district exempted from the award for the reason that a new union of employers has been formed and it is desired to obtain a separate award. Similar employers in the rest of the Dominion will be bound by this award, and, if the employers in Canterbury were exempted, their employees would be without the protection of an award in the meantime. The court is, therefore, unable to grant the application, but it may be pointed out. that the new union referred to will automatically become a party to this award. When this award expires, the way will then be open to that union to take separate proceedings if it so desires. Dissenting Opinions. The members of the court were not unanimous on all the matters dealt with. Mr. Monteith considers that the proportion of labourers allowed in automatic 'bakeries is too High; on the other hand, Mr. Prime is of the opinion that it is unecessary to restrict by the award the numbers of labourers, as,, in his view, the nature of the work which can be performed by journeymen. or labourers, respectively, in itself restricts sufficiently the number of lalxnirers who can be employed in any establishment. Mr. Prime also considers that the present itenalty rates should be reduced, notwithstanding the factors mentioned above. He also holds that a lower scale Of rates should Ihj fixed for junior labourers who. start work after 6 a.m., as, In his view, the rates fixed, for juniors are alreadj’ too high, especially considering the penalty rate imposed for starting before 4 a.m.