RATES FOR SHEARERS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 37, 12 August 1930, Page 3

RATES FOR SHEARERS

REDUCED U PEE GENT.

SLIDING SCALE AGREEMENT

Shearers' wages for the 1930-31 season havo been reduced 14 per cent. This is provided for in the Pastoral Workers' Agreement for the coming season. The details were finalised at a meeting held in Wellington last week, and attended by Mr. Malcolm Fraser. (Governm&nt Statistician), Mr. W. H. Nicholson (employers' representative), and Mr. A. Cook (representative of tho tsheaxers' unions). The following statement has been issued by Messrs. Fraser, Nicholson, and Cook: —

"The Government Statistician's index number for export prices of wool calculated for the twelve months ending 30th June, 1928, was taken as equal to 1800, and it was found that the index number for export prices of wool for the twelve months ending 30th June, 1930, was 1100. The provisions of tho agreement (setting out that the shearing rate per 100 shall not fall below 255, an* that the rato for shed hands shall not be reduced more than 24d per hour below the 1926 award rates) come into operation when the index falls below 1300. The rates for youths are- fixed at Is 8d per hour, or £2 12s 6d per week, and are not subject to any variation during the period of the agreement. As the index for 1930 has fallen to 1100, the minimum rates of pay will therefore operate for the 1930-31 season. These are as follows:—

Shearers. —(a) The rate for shearing by hand shall be not less than 25s per 100 with rations; (b) the rate for shearing by machines shall be not less than. 25s per 100 with rations; (c) the rate for shearing lambs shall be not les sthan 25s per 100 with rations; (d) in cases where the shearers find themselves in rations these rates hall be increased by 5s per 100; (c) the rate for stud sheep shall be settled by agreement between the employer and the shearer employed to do' the work; (f) the rate for shearing hogget rams shall be- rate and a half, and for other rams double ordinary rate. Shed Hands.—(a) pressers, by the week, £3 2s 6d; by the hour, Is 9}d; (b) all other shed liands, by'the week, £2 17s 6d; by the hour, Is 7Jd. Youths.—Over 1G years of age and under 18 years of age, by the week, £2 -12s 6d; by the hour, Is Bd. Cooks. —For 12 ineii or under, £3 12s Gd per week. (Where over twelvo men are employed the wages shall be by agreement between the employer , and the worker, but ..not-- in any-case less than the minimum .of £3 12s 6d per week.) ; Cook's assistants,. £3 2s 6d per week. .. ... :.'.:' ".< UNION SECRETARY'S VIEW. Commenting on the. rates of pay, Mr. Arthur Cook (general secretary of the New Zealand Workers' Union) said that the shearing industry workers would, no doubt, be very disappointed to learn that a 14 per cent, wages reduction had taken place, but he believed the workers would view the matter in the proper spirit and accept the reduction with good grace, realising that the fixing of wages in accordance with the rise and fall of wool prices was most fair both, for growers and workers. For many years before the union consented to enter into a sliding scale agreement with the employers a large number of workers in the industry had advocated it, and the first agreement was made on 19th October, 1928, to cover three seasons. For the first year of the agreement all pastoral workers received a considerable wages increase above the then existing Arbitration Court iwarcT rates. The award rates in 1028 were as follows:—Shearers, 27/6 per 100; pressers, by the week, £3/10/-, by the hour, 2/-; all other shed hands, by the week £3/5/-, by the hour 1/10; youths, by the week £2/10/-, by the hour 1/6; cooks, £4 per week; cooks' assistants, £3/10/-. Mr. Cook averaged the rates for the three years under the sliding scale agreement, in comparison with the 1928 award rates, as follows (the increase in each caso .being shown in parentheses): —Shearers, 28/- per 100 (6d.); pressois, by the week, £3/11/6 (1/6); pressers, by the hour, 2/0£ Gd.); all other shed hands, by the week, £3/6/6 (1/6); all other shed hands, by the hour, 1/10} (id.)'; youths, by the,, week, £2/12/6 (2/6); youths, by the hour, 1/8 (2a.); cooks, £4/1/6 (1/6); cooks' assistants, £3/11/6 (1/6).

"Tho foregoirig figures," he said, "prove- conclusively that the ■ arrangement for both sides was very fair, and, with the ' exceptional slump in wool values during the past eighteen months, it is safe to assume that the workers would havd been in a very much worse position had they been compelled to remain under the Arbitration Court. I frankly admit my liking for this system of fixing wages for wool industry workers, and although this is the last year under the sliding scale agreement, I hope later to sco the agreement renewed before the 1931-32 shearing, being convinced that wool is going to recover itself in tho very near future. I advise our members to accept the agreement in the proper spirit, reserving for themselves (of course) the right to secure a rate above the minimum where the sheep are rough and hard to shear."