STOREMEN'S AWARD

Evening Star, Issue 22880, 11 February 1938, Page 14

STOREMEN'S AWARD

MISUNDERSTANDING DY WORKERS DEPARTMENT CLARIFIES THE POSITIM • [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, February 10The Department of Labour state# that its attention has been drawn to a Press report of a Trades Hall meet* ing to discuss the wool, grain, hide* and manure stores employees’_ award recently made by the Arbitration Court. The department says tha# there appears to be some misunder* standing on the 'part of the worker* covered by this award regarding th* , effect of the Government’s 1936 legist lation. To clarify the position, the dej partment explains that the Shops ana Offices Act and Factories Act do no - # apply to workers, covered by thi* award, and one must refer to th«| Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act of 1936 to determine whether the Government’s legislation! has been contravened. Section 21 of this Act ar«vides that* where by. court order «M maximun| number of hours to be worked in anjj week (as fixed by the award or agree* ment .in force at the passing of th* Amendment Act) is reduced, any rate# of pay fixed in the award or agreement shall, if necessary, be increased eithe< directly by the court or indirectly hj* operation of the order, so that ■ th« ordinary rate of the weekly wages of any worker bound by award or agree* ment shall not be reduced by reason of the reduction made in the number of his working hours. It should be noted that this provision applies only in re* spect of the awards and agreements in force on the passing of the Amendment Act. _ . , Since the passing of til* legislation two awards have been made in thi* industry, the first, which Is'dated May 3, 1937, fixing a 44-hour week, which has been agreed upon by the parties in the Conciliation and,"' in respect of such awards, there is nothing in the legislation to prevent the court from reducing the wages if, having re* gard to all the circumstances, it think* it equitable to do so. In the award recently made, the principle of the 4(V hour five-day week has, in effect, been conceded to the workers, and, although the four hours on Saturday are at ordinary rates, they may, when a new. award is being sought, ask in the Conciliation Council or before the court fo< this rate to be increased to the ordinary overtime rate.