ELECTRICAL WORKERS

Evening Star, Issue 22595, 12 March 1937, Page 11

ELECTRICAL WORKERS

ARBITRATION COURT’S AWARD The Court of Arbitration this morning gave its award in the Dunedin and Sunurban General Electrical Workers dispute. The main provisions of the award are as follow: Interpretation.—“ Electrical worker’s work ” shall mean and include the constructing, erecting, installing, maintaining, and repairing of all classes of electric lighting, signs, and power-con-suming appliances and of any other appliance which requires a practical knowledge of electricity, but nothing shall apply to the construction, erection, or repairing of the mechanical portion of any appliances or machniery by a mechanical engineer or to a motor electrician, and nothing shall apply to shift engineers, switchboard, and sub-station operators, or linesmen, or to work done in connection with radio apparatus or appliances; nor the manufacture in a factory of any electrical or appliance not requiring a technical knowledge of electricity. Wages.—Journeymen electrical workers shall he paid a minimum wage of 2s 6d per hour. Any journeyman who is placed in charge of work on which three or more workers, other than apprentices, are employed, shall receive threepence an hour in addition to the above wages, provided the job shall extend three days or more. In the event of a worker being discharged for any cause, or when a worker leaves of his own accord, he shall be paid full wages within one hour, and for all time spent by him over the said one hour waiting for his wages ordinary time shall be paid. Hours of Work.—The ordinary hours of work shall not exceed eight hours on five days of the week, Monday to Friday inclusive, to be worked between the hours of 7.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Where employees attend the place of employment at the usual hour for commencing work, work shall be found for them for at least one hour or payment shall he made for one hour at the minimum rate, except when short time is being worked. The ordinary hours of work in respect of troublemen and faultmen covered by the award, employed by electrical supply authorities shall be such as the exigencies of the employment may reasonably require, but shall not exceed 120. hours m each three weeks to be worked on not more than 22 days in each four-weekly period. The oridnary hours of work for electrical workers employed by freezing companies shall be 44 a week, to be worked on five arid a-half days of the week. Overtime.—Overtime shall he worked as required by the employer, and except as otherwise provided all time worked in any day in excess of the hours specified in the award shall be paid for at the rate of time and a-half for the first four hours in any one day, and thereafter at double time rates. If a worker is required to work outside the hours prescribed he shall be paid an additional sum equal to 10 per cent, of the wages earned by him, hut he shall not receive overtime rates of payment unless and until the daily number of hours is exceeded. Employers shall provide a meal or allow meal money at the rate of Is 6d per meal when workers are called upon to work overtime after 6.30 p.m. provided that such workers cannot reasonably get home to their meals. Any worker having performed his ordinary day’s work and having worked overtime at rates as provided until the ordinary time for commencing work next day, and being then required to continue working shall be paid at double time rates for so long as he continues to work thereafter j provided that a worker being required to work continuously shall not thereafter be stood down for a lesser period than four hours. When an employer in the ordinary course of his business is required to service a widespreading area he may by arrangement with the union extend the ordinary hours of work by payment of such extra rate as may be mutually agreed upon as overtime. Dirty Work.—Where the conditions are unhealthy or more injurious to clothing than the ordinary workshop conditions, dirt money at the rate of Is 3d per day or portion of a day shall be paid to all employees. Holidays.— For work done on New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, the Sovereign’s birthday, Labour Day, Boxing Day, and Christmas Day double time rates shall be paid. If a troubleman or faultman employed by an electrical supply authority is called on to do work covered by this award on any of the holidays referred to he may. at the option of the employer, be allowed, in lieu of the payment referred to, double time off during the ensuing three weekly period. Suburban Work.—“ Suburban work ’ means work done elsewhere than at the shop of the employer and oyer one mile and a-balf from the _ chief or principal post office in any city, town, or borough, but which does not come under the definition of “ country work.” Workers employed on suburban work .shall be refunded any sum in excess of 2s mer week expended by them in travelling to and from work. Country [Work. —“ Country work ”