PRIVATE HOTELS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 49, 26 August 1938, Page 5

PRIVATE HOTELS

DISPUTE SETTLED

INCREASE IN WAGES

After being adjourned from August 2 to enable the parties to give further consideration to various unsettled clauses in the proposed new award to govern employees in private hotels throughout New Zealand, a settlement was reached in the Conciliation Council yesterday. The parties were the New Zealand Federated Hotel, Restaurant and Related Trades Employees' Union and the proprietors of private hotels joined in the dispute. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. M. J. Reardon) presided. Mr. W. J. Mount] oy acted as advocate for the employers and Mr. F. G. Young for the employees. Wages, hours, holidays, and a number of other points were all in dispute when the hearing commenced; but after three days of discussion all the contested matters were settled. A 44-hour week with an 11-hour break was agreed upon. It was agreed that night porters should work a straight shift of nine hours with an interval of one hour for a meal after four hours' work. The hours of night porters are to be worked over five and a half days in the week. The following special holidays were approved: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, and the Sovereign's Birthday, time and a half rates to be paid to all waiters employed on those days. An annual I holiday of one week and two days was agreed upon, the holiday provisions being on the same basis as those set out in the existing award. WAGES CLAUSES. The employers offered a 2s 6d increase to female workers and 5s increase to male workers on the weekly rates stipulated in the current award. The employees asked that a single scale for male and female kitchen workers be established in place of the differential scale suggested by the employers. The workers finally agreed to accept the increases offered on separate scales for males and females. The employers secured the right to employ female probationers for a period riot exceeding six months at a wage of not less than £1 a week, the proportion of probationers to be not more than one to three fully-qualified ! workers. The probationers may be employed as waitresses or housemaidwaitresses. It was agreed that where board was not provided for any worker, £1 a week should be paid as compensation and that when meals were not provided, an additional 3s a day should be paid to the worker. Where lodging was not provided, it was agreed that an extra. 10s a week should be paid. Night porters not living in are to be provided with two substantial meals each day and paid 10s a week in addition to their ordinary wages in consideration of their not receiving full board. SPECIAL EMPLOYMENT. It was agreed that dance halls should be included, with racecourses, banquet halls, and ballrooms as places at which workers must be paid special rates. The rates agreed upon for employment in those places were: Chef, £l'l2s 6d daily; second cooks, £1 7s 6d; other kitchen hands, £1; waiters, pantrymen, and other male workers not specified, £1 daily; waitresses, pantrymaids, and other female workers not specified, 15s daily. The following rates for casual labour were approved: Chief cook (where three or more hands are employed), £1 10s a day for the first three days, thereafter ordinary wages; other cooks, £1 a day; second cooks (in kitchens where three or more are employed), £1 2s 6d a day, for the first three days, thereafter ordinary wages. All other casual kitchen- workers are to be paid 17s 6d a day for the first three days and thereafter ordinary wages. Walters are to receive £1 a day, and waitresses 15s a. day for the first three days and thereafter ordinary rates, pantrymen 17s 6d a day, pantrymaids, 12s 6d a day, laundresses, 12s 6d a day, porters and general hands, 17s 6d a day, all for the first three days and thereafter ordinary rates. Considerable discussion took place regarding the employment of general hands for kitchen work, and the following clause was finally agreed upon: "A general hand may be employed in any capacity desired by his or her employer including that of relieving cooks and kitchen hands. They may also be employed in the laundry and may work in the kitchen up to one hour a day without increasing the rating of the kitchen, provided that not more than one general hand is employed in a kitchen at any one time unless on relieving work." Agreement was reached on the question of the supply and laundering of uniforms, caps, and aprons, etc. It was agreed that as far as possible, employers should engage workers through the union. The new award is to operate for one year. Some special provisions with regard to hours and holidays were agreed upon in the case of houses in certain more remote tourist and country resorts. The provisions enable holidays to be accumulated and a longer week, where necessary, to be worked. Other special provisions on similar lines were agreed upon in the case of houses in Rotorua, Queenstown, and Stewart Island.