HOLIDAY PAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1942, Page 7

HOLIDAY PAY

SUSPENSION ORDERS

POSITION IN AUCKLAND

(0.C.) AUCKLAND, Feb. 23. Efforts arc being made -by the unions to whittle down the powers of the Holiday and Overtime Suspension Order made by the Government last December, according to a review of recent developments made by the secretary rff the Auckland Employers' Association, Mr. W. E. Anderson. | In most industries work on holidays was made prohibitive by awards fixing holiday pay at treble time, said Mr. Andei-soh. To assist industry to carry on with the reduced man-power available the Government decided to remove the "bar to work on holidays and by an emergency order gazetted in December reduced the payment for time worked on holidays from treble to double time. The order gives an employer the choice of three actions, namely, to allow the holiday, to postpone the holiday for six months, or.j to work on the holiday and pay a total of double time. There .was doubt whether the order applied universally or to essential industries only, but this point was cleared Up by a telegram from the Secretary .of Labour to the effect that the order applied to all industries. The order was given wide publicity and employers followed its provisions in respect of the Christmas and New Year holidays and Anniversary's Day. f "Several Auckland unions complained very bitterly when the bar to working on. holidays was removed and the Minister of Labour advised them to appeal to the Industrial Emergency Committee for exemption," Mr. Ander- ~ son said. ~ APPLYING FOR EXEMPTION. "The result is that motor and horse drivers, electrical workers, radio workers, electric linesmen, switchboard and sub-station operators, tramway employees, and boilermakers ar,e applying for exemption. "Employers are fully occupied at present in managing their businesses and grappling with problems arising out of the war, such as shortage of labour and raw materials, benzine rationing, vehicle impressment, and price fixation, and have not time to attend conferences to decide whether or not they were right or wrong in observing the Government, order in respect of payments for Anniversary Day. . . "They say the Government should make up its mind what modification of award holiday provisions is necessary to meet war conditions, and, having made up its mind, should issue an order in clear language and tell employers and workers • that the • order is final and must be obeyed. "Any modification must be of universal application. To reduce holiday payment in essential undertakings and .leave workers in non-essential industries with all their peace-time privileges would be impracticable. In many cases this would mean discrimination between members of the same union, and it would lead to endless friction and discontent and consequently inefficiency.''