FREEZING WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 9, 12 January 1938, Page 10

FREEZING WORKERS

DOMINION AWARD

FORTY HOURS REFUSED BY

COURT

WAGE ADJUSTMENTS

The New Zealand (except Westland) freezing workers' award has been issued by the Second Court of Arbitration. It will operate from December 13, 1937, as regards wages, and from January 10. 1938, as regards its other provisions. The award will continue in force until December. 1938.

"The principal matters referred to the Court related to hours and wages." states a memorandum from Mr. Justice Hunter. "The workers asked for a 40-hour week throughout the industry. The award provides for a 40-hour week to be worked from Monday to Friday inclusive in the case of female workers, but the Court does not consider it practicable at the present time to carry on the industry efficiently in a 40----hour week in the case of other workers for the following reasons:—

"(1) The industry is a seasonal one and the work has to be done as stock is available for killing; (2) the products of the industry consist of perishable goods which must be treated without delay; (3) the industry is in competition with freezing works in other countries where the 40-hour week is not in operation, and it would be placing an undue burden on the industry to impose a 40-hour week in New Zealand.

POSITION OF SHIFT WORKERS.

"The Court gave very careful consideration in this connection to the case of shift workers in the engineroom, but a majority of the Court is of the opinion- that, .while ordinary workers work a 44-hour week, it would not be practicable to prescribe a 40----hour week for shift workers, particularly in the case of the smaller works, without dislocation of other portions of the work of the industry. The Court regrets to have to come to this conclusion, as it desires, of course, wherever possible, that additional work shall be available for unemployed workers. ' Mr. Croskery ■ does not agree with the opinion of the majority of the Court on this matter as regards shift workers.

"With regard to wages, the Court has endeavoured, where possible, to make such adjustments as will result in increasing the earnings of the lower-paid workers, particularly in cases where the nature of the work is unpleasant. The members of the Court were not unanimous with regard to the wages rates set out in the award, and the scale represents a compromise arrived at in order to allow an award to be made.

"Provision has been made in the award for the suitable and adequate dining, dressing, and drying rooms.

"The Court desires to express its appreciation of the very thorough and efficient manner in which the case was placed before it by Messrs. C. G. Wilkin and J. J. Evans for the employers, and Mr. W. E. Sill for the workers."

HOURS OF WORK.

With the exception of females, who have a 40-hour week, the ordinary hours of work are eight hours (including "smoke-oh"), between 7.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on five days of the week, and four hours (including "smoke-oh"), between 7.30 a.m. and 12 noon on Saturdays. Overtime is fixed at time and a half after the first four hours, thereafter double time.

When pieceworkers other than slaughtermen are required to wait for work at any time after the arranged time of starting,.they shall be paid at the rate of 2s 9d an hour for all time waited; slaughtermen 3s 3d an hour; hourly workers at the rate an hour at which they ordinarily work.

| In the manure, tallow, oleo, £ellmongery, preserving, and engine-room departments, shifts may be worked to whatever extent may be deemed necessary to cope with the work, and a shift shall consist of eight consecutive hours, including twenty . minutes crib time and two "smoke-ohs." All work done by men on shifts shall be confined to the work of their respective departments. Any time worked in excess of eight hours on five days of the week and four hours on Saturday shall be paid for at overtime rates, provided that, any time worked after noon on Saturday shall be paid for at the rate of time and a half for the. first four hours and double time thereafter.

KATES OF PAY.

Rates of pay are as follows:—Hourly rates for chain slaughtering, all sheep and lambs, 3s 6d until a chain is capable of earning 3s 6d at piecework rates. The minimum rate where the ring system is installed is 3s 6d. Workers shall be interchangeable on the chain or ring, where required by the employer.

Piecework: All sheep not otherwise specified, a 100, £2 ss; all lambs not otherwise specified, £2 2s 6d; show sheep and lambs, £211s; unshorn sheep, rams, and dead sheep are provided for at extra rates.

Cattle, a head: Boners, 2s 7d; freezers, 2s 8d; chillers, 2s 9d; bulls, etc., extra.

Calves, up to 601b, a head, 7d; 611b to 801b, lOd; 811b to 1301b, Is sd; 1311b to 2001b, 2s; over 2001b, cattle rates.

Pigs, up to 1201b, a head (actual dressed weight), Is 4d; 1211b to 2001b. a head, Is lid; over 2001b, a head, 3s. Slaughterhouse and cooling-room assistants: Boners, 3s; trimmers, 2s Bd. Boners, on piecework: Bull beef, a quarter, lid; ox beef, a quarter, lOd; heifer and cow beef, a quarter, 9d; long hinds, including six ribs, a quarter, lOd; short fores, a quarter, 9d; calves, up to 801b, each 7d.

Gutmen, 2s 7d.

Coolisg-floor hands, general labourers, and others not otherwise stated, 2s 7d. ...

Runner-off, 2s Bd, Stripper, 2s lid.

Meat-grader, if not permanent, 2s 9.3 d.

Fellmonger; Fullers, North Island, a 100 skins, 3s sd; skin-washers, an hour, including bobby calves, 2s. 7Jd; skinwashers, on piecework, June to January, woolly skins, 2s 9d; October to January, shorn skins, Is 7d; February and March, all skins, 2s; April land May, all skins, 2s 4Jd. (At the IPetone works the employers shall provide labour to put skins in dolly.) Lime-dollymen, painters, and trimmers, 2s 7Jd; painters, mechanical table, 2s 7Jd; painters on piecework (to include dagging, trimming, painting, taking oft, carrying away, and cleaning down). North Island, November to March inclusive, per 100, 4s 7d: April to end of season, 4s lOd; piece or piemen (piecework, at a Ib on weight of dry wool), November to March, 101b, 2s o|d; after March, Is 9d; piece or piemen, 3s; wool-driers, 2s 7d; pressers, 2s 7d; pressers, a bale, Is 63d; pressers, a bale, if power supplied, 20 per cent. less.

Pelt department.—Limers, 2s 7.Jd; Heshers, machine-feeders, first three months, 2s 7d, after three months' experience, 2s 7id; piecework (including feeding and tailing-off), on sheep, a 100, Is BJd, lambs, Is sd; scudders, 2s ''d; scudders, piecework, a 100, 2s 4d; scudders, piecework, by machine, Is 3id; pelt-classers and pelt-curers, an hour, 2s 9fd; workers not otherwise stated, 2s 7d.

Freezing-chamber hands-—Workers

employed in handling produce iv lre«e-ing-rooms and cold stores, includinng "running-in" and ■ "loading-out," whether into trucks, wagons, or lighters, an hour, 2s 9d.

Preserving department.—Boners, an hour, 3s; trimmers, 2s 8d; others in boning room, 2s 7d; tinsmiths, 2s 8d; second preserver, 2s 8d; workers opening blown tins, 2s 7d; meat extract room, cooling room, and scald hands, 2s 7d; all other workers not specified, 2s 6d.

Youths up to the age ot nineteen years may be employed in proportion of one youth to every three men employed in each department (bag-room excepted) at the following rates per week:—l 6 years of age, £1 12s 6d; 164, £1 17s 6d; 17, £2 ss; 174, £2 10s; 18, £2 15s; 181, £3. Thereafter, the minimum wage. For the purpose of this clause chain slaughtering shall be regarded as a separate department. In Computing the number of youths to be employed in the slaughterhouse' solo slaughtermen shall not be counted. Youths employed in stamping carcasses shall not be included in the quota herein provided.

Females over 16 years may be employed in the preserving department and bag room, and for calibrating casings provided no raw meats are handled or weights in excess of 201b. They are to observe a 40-hour five-day week, and are to commence at a weekly wage of £1 10s, with six-monthly increments rising to £3.

FAVOURABLE RECEPTION

LIKELY

(13y Telegraph— l'vens, Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, January 11.

[ The opinion that the award would be very favourably received by the men in the industry was expressed this evening by the secretary of the Canterbury Freezing Workers' Union, Mr. H. G. Kilpatrick. Naturally the employees were pleased that the Court had given wage increases, specially to the lower-paid hourly workers. Another important point of the new award was that it raised the guaranteed minimum wage for assistants in the killing chamber, slaughterhouse, and gut house from £2 Bs, where it had stood for many years, to £3 6s. I

Employees would be disappointed that they had not received a 40-hour week, but they would be pleased the Court had decided to apply shorter hours to female workers- in <the industry. A feature of the award was that the increases given the lower-paid workers were relatively greater than those given those on higher wages.

One of the most pleasing things in the award was the provision made for dressing and drying rooms, which was revolutionary in the industry in New Zealand, Mr. Kilpatrick said. There were some things the men would be disappointed at not receiving, and among them was the recognition of the claims of shepherds, but as a whole the award should be very favourably received, by all those in the industry.