BIG INCREASES

Evening Star, Issue 22575, 17 February 1937, Page 8

BIG INCREASES

SEAMEN'S WAGES NEW AGREEMENT TO BE MADE INTO AWARD On tlio application of both parties, the Arbitration Court, in chambers, at Wellington on Monday, agreed to make into an award the agreement reached between the shipowners and the seamen. The term of the award will be 18 months as from February 1, 1937. The rates of pay per month, with the previous rates in parentheses, are as follows:

Boatswain and first A. 8., £l9 (£l6 4s); able seaman, £lB (£ls 4s); O.S. (18 years or over), £ll 19s (£lO 9s); O.S. (under 18 years), £lO 10s (£9 4s) ; boy (17 years or over), £5 14s (£5); donkeyman-fireman-greaseir (in vessels carrying one engineer only), £2O 10 s (£lB 14s) ; donkeyman, £2O (£lB 45).; fireman-greaser (in vessels carrying one engineer only), £l9 10s (£l7 14s); fireman, £l9 (£l7 4s); oil burner, £l9 (£l7 4s); motor attendant, £l9 (£l7 4s); storekeeper, £l9 (£l7 4s); greaser, £l9 (£l7 4s) ; trimmer, £lB (£ls 4s); wiper, £lB (£ls 4s); attendant, £ls 4s (£ls 4s). When a ship is stranded or wrecked the rates of payment have been increased from 2s 6d and 4s per hour to 3s 2d and 4s 9d per hour respectively. The clause dealing with the limited period of employment has been amended to provide that where a ship is placed in commission, or for an excursion over a number of days and is withdrawn within 14 days for any reason other than accident, the crew shall be paid 50 per cent, in addition to the rates of wages. Under the expired agreement 25 per cent, was paid. OVERTIME INCREASED. The overtime rate has been increased from 2s 9d to 3s 2d per hour. Where time off in lieu of overtime is offered and accepted, it is to be at the rate of two and a-half hours for one hour worked as overtime, in place of two hours under the J 935 agreement. Regarding hours of labour in port, the clause has been amended to provide that men working continuously from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. become entitled to time off next day for eight hours or until the ship sails, instead of being required to work 24 continuous hours as under the 1935 agreement. The lightering clause has been amended to include all classes of cargo instead of frozen meat only, as formerly. Deckhands employed at lightering are to have their wages and overtime rates made up .to within Id per hour of the, rates payable to waterside workers at the place where the work is performed. The provision for washing decks on Sundays in port in passenger ships has been deleted.

The rates for nightwatchmen in port have been increased from Is 9d per hour for the full night watch to 2s per hour, and for short or broken watches from 2s to 2s 3d. Anchor watch rates have been increased from 2s per hour to 2s 6d per hour. Anzac Day has been added to the list of holidays in port ami at sea. It has been observed hitherto as a Sunday. SUNDAY AT SEA. A now clause has been drawn up to cover work performed on Sundays at sea by men on watch in the deck and

engine room departments. All work performed by day men on Sundays at sea is to' be paid for at overtime rates with a minimum of half an hour. When a-vessel, arrives in port on a Sunday at or before noon watchkeepers who have worked that day are to be paid 1-8 (one eighth) of a day’s pay for each hour worked, with a minimum of one hour. When a vessel is at sea on a Sunday later than noon the watchkeepers are to be paid a full day’s pay.After July 1, 1937, the following improvements are to come into operation; —Eating utensils supplied to the crew are to be of earthenware; pillows are to be of well-filled kapok; coloured counterpanes are to be provided, and to be changed fortnightly; two towels per week are to be issued to each member of a crew; tablecloths are to bo provided and changed twice per week if required. Cleaning boiler tubes has been added to the boiler work clause, and the rate of extra payment has been increased from Is per hour to Is 3d. Men employed at cleaning tubes are to be-pro-vided with respiratory protection. The rate of payment for men who are engaged and afterwards not required is increased from 10s to 12s Cd. It is provided that all members of crews who attend the monthly stopwork meeting shall be entitled to count the time allowed to be absent from the ship as part of the hours of labour for the day, but this shall not apply to men who fail to return on board within the time allowed.

The rates of extra payment for the carriage of livestock have been increased from Is to Is 3d in the hours of labour,- and from 3s 9d to 4s 2d outside the hours of labour.

Rates of extra payment for trimming bunker coal have been increased from Is per hour to Is 3d in the hours of labour, and from 3s 9d to 4s 2d per hour outside the hours of labour. •

The weekly hours of labour within river limits have been reduced from 50 to 48, making a 44-hour week when weekly time off is taken into account. It is provided that in vessels exceeding 275 tons net register, seamen employed in driving winches or performing other work in connection with the handling of cargo shall’be paid Is per hour in addition to their ordinary pay and lOd per hour in addition ,to their overtime rate as the case may be. The agreement now applies to all-the vessels of the Northern Steamship Company and of Frankham. Ltd., of Auckland. The only ship owned by patties to the agreement trading regularly either on the coast or in the inter, colonial trades of New Zealand which is not covered by the agreement is the s.s. Kalingo. It is'provided that the crew’s attendant shall receive in addition to his £ls 4s per month £2 per month in lieu of the provisions of the agreement that do_ not apply to the attendant, thus bringing his wages up to ' £l7 4s pep' month.