RETAIL CHEMISTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 49, 26 August 1938, Page 16

RETAIL CHEMISTS

ASSISTANTS' AWARD

INCREASE IN WAGES

44-HOUR WEEK

An increase in wages of 7s 6d a week is granted retail chemists' assistants under the terms of a new award to govern this class of employee issued by the Second Court of Arbitration and to operate for one year from August 29. The weekly hours are to be 44, worked in accordance with the provisions of the Shops and Offices Act, 1921-22, and its amendments. One hour is to be allowed for dinner on all days except the statutory half-holiday. Minimum weekly wages are fixed as follows: —Managers, £6 10s; qualified assistants registered under the Pharmacy Act, £6; qualified assistants not registered, £5 10s; unqualified assistants with over two years' further experience, £5 ss; unqualified assistants, £4 17s 6d; improvers, first year, £3 ss; improvers, second year, £4. Improvers having passed the qualifying examination are to receive 5s extraManagers are to be paid not less than £6 10s a week, but are not otherwise to be subject to the terms of the award, except that they are to be allowed a fortnight's holiday on full pay annually. Casual workers are to be paid not less than 3s 8d an hour in the case of registered assistants, and 3s 4d an hour in the case of unregistered assistants. Apprentices' wages are to range from £1 in the first six months to £2 10s in the eighth six months. The wages of female shop assistants are to range from £1 in the first six months to £2 17s 6d after the fourth year. One unqualified assistant is to be allowed to each shop, with an additional one for each qualified assistant. The employer who is registered and substantially engaged in the business is to be deemed to be a qualified chemist. Overtime is to be paid for at the rate of time and a half. For work done on Good Friday, Christmas Day, and Anzac Day, double time is to be paid. For work done on all other holidays time and a half is to be paid. For work done between 7 and 9 o'clock in the evening on the statutory closing day workers are to be allowed double time off within seven days. The following holidays are to be observed: —New Year's Day, the day following, Anniversary Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Sovereign's Birthday, Labour Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. In addition each employee is to have two weeks' holiday a year on full pay. COURT'S MEMORANDUM. In a memorandum attached to the award, Mr. Justice Hunter states:— "Most of the clauses of the award were in dispute and have been settled by the Court. "The Court has fixed the weekly hours of work at 44, being of opinion that it would be impracticable to carry on the industry efficiently if a lesser number was awarded because the needs of the public could not be adequately met. ♦The wages for workers other than female shop assistants have been based on those fixed by the Otago award of 1930, which was the last award made for this industry prior to the amending legislation of 1932, and to which the following memorandum was attached:— " 'The principal matter in dispute was wages. The Court has increased the existing rates, which in its opinion were unduly low, though they were fixed by agreement of the parties when the last award was made. The Court considers that a qualified assistant and an unqualified assistant with eight years' experience ought to be worth something more than an ordinary shop assistant, because their training has been more intensive and their duties are more skilled and responsible. In the interests of the general public, the wages paid should be sufficient to deter incompetent men from being employed.' "The rates in that award have been increased by 7s 6d a week in accordance with the decisison of the Court in the recent grocers' dispute. "The members of the Court were not unanimous on all the clauses of the award: — "Mr. Duff is of opinion that the wage for managers is too high and that the wages awarded to registered, unregistered, and unqualified assistants should have been based on the average of the rates obtaining under the various district awards and not on the highest of such rates. He does not wish to record a formal dissent. "Mr, Croskery is of opinion that the Court should have fixed daily hours of work; that all the provisions of the award should have been applied to managers; that apprentices should have been fully provided for; and that the wages for adult female shop assistants should have been increased by at least 7s 6d, instead of 5s a week. He also does not wish to record a formal dissent." ___