CLOTHING TRADES

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 151, 29 June 1938, Page 15

CLOTHING TRADES

TWO NEW AWARDS

DRESSMAKERS AND SHIRT

WORKERS

Two new awards, governing conditions for dressmakers and milliners, and for shirt, white, and silk workers in the northern, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, and Southland industrial districts, have been filed by the Second Court of Arbitration. Both awards are to come into force on July 4, and are to remain in force for one year.

In the dressmakers' and milliners' award the hours of work are fixed at 40 per week of five working days, except where workrooms are attached to retail establishments, where a 51-day week is to apply. Urgent work may be dealt with by the institution of a SJ-day week, and the employer is empowered to enter into an agreement with the union to use a roster system. Each holiday is to be counted as a day worked for the purpose of computing hours of work. *

The term of apprenticeship for females is to be two years, and each worker is to serve a term of two years as an improver. Female apprentices are to start at 17s per week, with a six-monthly rise of 4s until £1 9s J is received in the fourth half-year. Improvers are to receive £ 1 13s in the fifth half-year, £1 17s in the sixth half-year, and £2 3s for the fourth year, and thereafter journeywomen's wages. The proportion of apprentices is to be not more than two to every journey woman. Another clause covers the competent supervision and tuition of apprentices, and outlines the general conditions governing the employment of apprentices.

The minimum wage for journeywomen is fixed at £2 10s, and for journeywomen employed as cutters at £2 15s 6d. The weekly rates payable to females employed in sorting, ticketing, boxing, and in distributing work conform to the rates payable to female apprentices, improvers, and journeywomen, and range from 17s at starting to £2 10s after the fourth year. Cutters' requisites are to be provided by the employer.

Overtime is to be paid for at the rate of time and a half, with a minimum of Is 6d per hour. Notice is to be given on the previous working day, or Is 6d tea-money paid. Eight statutory paid holidays are provided, to be observed on the following Monday if they should fall on a Sunday. Double rates are to be paid for work done on these days, or on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. An annual paid holiday of a week, exclusive of other holidays, is to be given.

Wages are to be paid weekly not later than the day following the completion of the factory's working-week, not later than Wednesday in any case, and not later than the usual closing time. Any worker who attends at a factory where there is no work and notice has not been given, is to be paid for four hours' work. The same provision is made for workers deprived of work through the stoppage of machinery. Piecework is to be prohibited. Three days' notice is to be given by either party in the event of termination of employment. Other clauses of a general nature are included.

"By agreement of the parties this dispute was heard in conjunction with the clothing trades employees' dispute and the shirt, white, and silk workers' dispute," said Mr. Justice Hunter, in a memorandum. "The principal matters referred to the Court were interpretation, , hours, wages, general conditions, definitions, overtime, holidays, general provisions, termination of employment, and term of award, and these have been settled mainly on the lines of the clothing trades employees' award' issued on June 15, 1933. As in the case of the clothing trades employees' award, the members of the Coiirt were not unanimous on all clauses, and Mr. Duff's, dissent in that case applies here also. Mr. Croskery is not entirely in agreement with the rates of wages awarded, but does not wish to record a formal dissent. SHIRT, WHITE, AND SILK WORKERS. Very similar provisipns apply in the case of the shirt, white, and silk workers. The week, is to be a 40-hour, five-day one, to be worked between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wages for female apprentices and improvers are to be the same. Conditions governing apprenticeship are to be very similar, there being eleven classified branches of the trade to which girls may 'je apprenticed.

A journey woman's wages are to be at least £2 10s, and a journey woman employed in cutting is to receive £2 15s 6d per week. Wages for the sorting, ticketing, boxing, and distribution worker are on a similar scale to those provided for the parallel industry in the dressmakers' award.

The minimum wage for a secondclass chart-cutter is to be £4 17s 6d per week, and for a stock cutter, trimmer, and male examiner £4 12s 6d per week.' All cutters' requisites are to be provided by the employer. Overtime is to be paid at the rate of time and a half, with a minimum of Is 6d per hour. The clauses referring to tea-money, holidays, the payment of wages, and other general conditions are similar to those in the dressmakers' award.

The Union Steam Ship Company was granted an exemption, except as | regards wages and overtime to workers engaged in manufacturing new goods or repairing damaged linen. "As in the case of the clothing trades' employees' award," added' Mr. Justice Hunter, "the members of the Court were npt unanimous on all the clauses, and the dissents in that case apply here also."