FISH WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 80, 1 October 1938, Page 11

FISH WORKERS

NEW AWARD MADE

WAGES INCREASED

A wages increase of 5s a week for adult workers and a 44-hour s£-day Week are fixed in the Wellington fish workers' award, issued today by the Second Court of Arbitration.

Head smokers and curers are to receive £5 10s a week, experienced general hands £5, and general hands (with less than two years' experience) £4 10s. Youths' wages range from £1 2s 6d between 15 and 15£ to £3 12s 6d between 20 and 21. Overtime pay is at the rate of time and a half for the first three hours and double time thereafter.

Ten statutory holidays with pay are specified, as well as a week's annual holiday on full pay. The award is to operate within a radius of 25 miles from the Wellington Post Office, and for one year from October 3.

r:The principal clauses referred to the Court were hours, wages, employment of youths, casual labour, shifts, overtime, holidays, termination of employment, meal money, and tools," said Mr. Justice Hunter, in a memorandum. "The Court has framed a clause specifying the industry to which the award applies as the fish curing or preserving industry. .

"The Court has followed the hours being worked under the present award," said his Honour. "The union asked for a 40-hour five-day week but the Court, after considering the evidence called at the hearing, and hearing the representatives of the parties, is of opinion that it is not practicable to carry on the industry efficiently on a 40-hour week, for the following reasons:—The goods dealt with are highly perishable, Saturday is a very busy day in the industry, it is not practicable to reduce the hours to be worked from Monday to Friday inclusive below those prescribed by this award and the public would be seriously inconvenienced if retailers were unable to obtain supplies of fish from the factories on Saturday mornings. On these grounds the Court has declined to grant a 40-hour week in this industry.

"The Court has increased the wages payable to the three classes of adult workers concerned by 5s per week in accordance with the pronouncement of the Court of Arbitration in the sugar workers' dispute. The rates of wages i for youths are the same as those fixed in the fish workers' award recently issued by this Court A provision has been added to the shifts clause providing for additional payment of 3s per week for shift workers." MR. CROSKERY DIFFERS. In his dissenting opiifion Mr. A. W. Croskery, workers' representative, said that no evidence was called on behalf of the employers that it was impracticable for the industry to observe a 40-hour week, notwithstanding the fact that the principal employer was in the Court during the whole of the proceedings. On the above grounds he was firmly of the opinion that the hours awarded should have been forty per week.

"In respect to the daily hours I am of the opinion that they should have been fixed between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. with the payment at overtime rates for any time worker before or after the hours mentioned, as is provided for in numerous other awards," said Mr. Croskery. "Some of the union's witnesses stated they had to leave home as early as 5.35 a.m. to get to the place of their, employment, and I am firmly of the opinion that any industry which makes such demands on its workers should pay an additional rate.

"This Court in five cases which it heard in Auckland based wages,on a 40-hour week with the right to work up to forty-four at an equivalent hourly rate for all hours worked over forty," Mr. Croskery continued. "A majority of the Court then abandoned this principle and made a number of awards for forty-four hours Sand in these cases awarded 7s 6d per week in place of the 5s set out in the sugar workers' memorandum. In this case we have a further departure from both of the above and a majority of the Court has decided to award increases of 5s per week only, as in the sugar workers' memorandum, notwithstanding the fact that in the sugar workers' case the hours were fixed at fdfrty and these workers are required to work forty-four. So is it any wonder that under such circumstances there is a general dissatisfaction with the awards issued by this Court? With this opinion I am in perfect accord."