PERFORMING MUSICIANS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 110, 5 November 1925, Page 6

PERFORMING MUSICIANS

DOMINION AWARD

MODELLED ON WELLINGTON

AWARD,

The Dominion award for performing musicians has been filed at the Wellington Supreme . Court. The award applies to performers employed to play musical instruments (whethor mechanical ov otherwise) at skating rinks, public and private dancing, assemblies, in hotels, cabarets, cafes, ; refresh incut rooms, and in connection with dramatic performances, variety and picture entertainments, shows, circuses, operatic comedy companies, grand opera- companies, orchestral and other concerts, and engagements at outdoor or indoor amusements; but not to performers engaged outside Now Zealand to travel with any en-, tertaisim'eut in New Zealand. The wages rates arc-as under:— (a) Every performer employed at general theatrical performances, including operatic, touring pictures, dramatic, comedy, vaudeville, etc., shall be paid £4 per week for six performances. All performers shall bo paid 12s for each matinee.^ (b) Performers at permanent vaudeville 01 variety shows shall be paid £3 15s per week of seven performances. Performers shall be paid 12s for each matinee after the first, (c) Performers at pormanent picture entertainments (rion-eontinuons) shall be paid at the rate of not less than £3 10s for six performances, averaging not more than. three and a quarter hours for each performance. Performers shall be paid not less than 6a for the first matinee, and 12s each for subsequent mJßinees' in each week. Rehearsals', shall not exceed two hours each-week. In the case of picture theatres which do not show regulurly sis nights per week performers shall be paid pro rata at the weekly rates provided for permanent picture theatres. Special rates and conditions are prescribed for continuous theatres, which are defined as those screening the same programme or a portion thereof more- than twice daily;'also for card parties, concerts, dances and assemblies, refreshment rooms and hotels, skating-rinks, etc. Overtime is to be paid for at the rate of 5s per hour. It is provided that tho terms and conditions of .this award shall not apply to any person taking part in simateur performances, viz., concerts, oratorios, operatic, or musical, and the practice as to the conditions of employment in vogue before the date of this award shall continue. The performers at all benefit entertainments' are to be paid for at award rates, but the whole or any portion of the fee may be handed to (he fund at tho discretion of the performer. ■ The award includes preference and under-rate workers' clauses, and its term is from 9th November nest to 9th November, 1927. [■ The scope of tho award in the case of Wellington is limited to a radius of five miles from the Chief Post Office iii Wellington in respect to all indoor entertainments, and to a radius of tweii-ty-five miles from,the Post Office in respect, to all outdoor engagements. The Court reserves the power, with, the consent of the local union and of the majority of the employers, to amend the award to meet local conditions, except in relation to. rates of wages, overtime, number of hours, or preference. The accompanying memorandum by the President of the Court (Mr. Justice Frazer) states: "The Court has modelled this award on the expired Wellington award. The rates of wages have in many cases been increased in order to bring them more into line with the wages paid to skilled workers under other awards. The rates that have been increased are principally those rates that have- remained almost stationary for several years, in spile of Hi" general increaso in tlifi cost of commodities and services generally."