COUNCIL HOLIDAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 133, 2 December 1936, Page 12

COUNCIL HOLIDAYS

"CONSECUTIVE DAYS"

NO ALTERATION MADE

When the working week was reduced by agreement to five days for Wellington city tramways, omnibus, and power-house workers it was found that the annual holiday of twelve consecutive working days could not be disposed of in a fortnight and a consequential amendment to the award to provide for the holidays withm the fortnight was asked for by the City Council. In a decision given today the Arbitration Court states that it has no jurisdiction to grant the employers application to reduce the number of days given as annual holiday and the twelve consecutive days must stand as expressed in the agreement. The agreement between the employees and the City Council provided for twelve consecutive working days' holiday in each period of nine months, the judgment states. By reason of the reduction of hours to forty on five days in the week, and the fact that the rates of wages were increased so that the weekly earnings would not be reduced by reason of the shorter working hours the daily rate of pay was increased and consequently the daily rate paid during holidays was greater. Under the agreement, before the application of the 40-hour week, the twelve consecutive working days' holiday could be taken within a fortnight, but with work on five days only the twelve consecutive days would run into the third week. The council asked that the allowance of days should be reduced to ten so that the holiday period could be taken in a fortnight as formerly. The Court was empowered to amend an agreement by reducing the ordinary hours of work to forty per week and to amend rates of wages so that the weekly earnings should not be reduced, but the Court had no power to amend an award in respect of clauses relating to holidays. The Court was also asked to decide whether the management had the right to alter the normal rotation of weekly days off. "We think that the normal rotation should not be disturbed except where special circumstances exist," the judgment stated, "and that to provide for this the words 'in special circumstances' should be inserted in the draft clause." The Court made an order amending the Wellington City Tramways. Omnibus, and Power House Employees' Industrial Agreement to provide for a 40-hour five-day week and for an adjustment of rates of wages so that the ordinary weekly earnings should not I be reduced. ]