WOMEN AS ENGINEERS

Feilding Star, Volume 9, Issue 3784, 30 July 1932, Page 6

WOMEN AS ENGINEERS

EMPLOYE RS* I> ROPOS ALS MEETING OF PROTEST Per Press Association Wellington, July 28. At a largely attended meeting of tlio Amalgamated Engineers’ Union and allied trades unions, the opinion was expressed that the proposals of tlie employers in the present dispute were unjust. The employers propose that female workers may be employed under eonditions laid down for male workers and subject to the following special conditions. The hours of work shall ho 44 per week, a recess period of 10 minutes to ho allowed and paid for during every morning and afternoon; ‘ women shall not he employed on i night shift work; and operations j upon which female labour may ho | employed includes examining, light drilling, light riveting, tapping and screwing, light milling and grinding, light lathe work, light light ress ■ork, assembling, soldering etc.; ages to be those prescribed in the Factories Act; wages shall be paid weekly, but subject (o the provisions of the Factories Act, relating to deductions from wages; only time worked shall bo paid for. Tlie meeting took strong exception to the introduction of women into skilled production such as lathe work. For this class of work men would receive Is Sd an hour, while , women would start at 10s a week j aiul a 5s increase every 12 months until they reached 30s a week, after which they receive no further increase. A resolution was carried to refer the rcceut engineers’ dispute to the I Conciliation Council for settlement. Matters in connection with motor mechanics, who tiro under* a separate award, were also referred to the Conciliation Council for settlement.