BUTCHERS' AWARD

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 79, 30 September 1938, Page 6

BUTCHERS' AWARD

LOWER HUTT BREACHES

DIFFICULTIES OF INDUSTRY

The difficulty of carrying; out the preparation of meat for del&very on Saturday mornings was strtessed by Mr. C. R. Barrett in the Louver Hutt Court yesterday, when enterifeg a plea of guilty for two Lower Hutt "butchers, T. W. Slinn and Richard Carr, on breaches of the butchers' awwrd. Mr. G. DJ Jensen, representing the Department of Labour, said that Mr. Slinn employed five workers—four in High Street in the main shop and one at the V.I.C. branch shop, i On July 22 three men were employed in the main shop at 7 a.m., and tifiey were still employed at 5.50 p.m. on the same day. The alternate hours w^re 7 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. or 7.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. In any case, 44 hours were fi>nfcd as the hours of labour for butchers'^ assistants, and they could not exceed thfts number of hours, overtime or not. '!The wages book showed that the meij had received more than the minisnum rate, and had been credited with $wo hours for overtime, but Mr. Slinii had not allowed time and a half for overtime. At 6.45 a.m. on July 22, continued Mr. Jensen, a man was seen -M'orking at Mr. Carr's shop in Ludlam Crescent, and he was still there at 5.3Q p.m. that j day. Another man was -working in the V.I.C. shop at 5.40 p.m^ Mr. Barrett said that theae offences were committed on a Friday; As these» men were no,t allowed to work more than 44 hours a week, thJSs did not allow the butchers time ore Friday to prepare the meat for dfelivery on Saturday. "Could they not have ptaid proper overtime rates?" asked the Magistrate. Mr. A. M. Goulding, S.M. Mr. Barrett replied that there was confusion about the awasrd. These but'ehers had a wide area Over which to deliver their goods, and thus they were forced into breaking the award every Friday night. Slinn and Carr were each fined £5, and the G. Bean^ M. Bowe, N. H. Winstanley, J. Stewart, and G. Wotton, were each fined £3.. , The fines were fixed at i£2 10s on each of the two claims for not paying overtime at time and a half and not keeping a proper wages and time book.