CONCILIATION COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 January 1941, Page 6

CONCILIATION COUNCIL

MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES’ AWARD A complete agreement was reached in Conciliation Council at Greymouth yesterday regarding the new award for the Greymouth Municipal employees. As stated yesterday, the conditions in the new award are almost identical with the previous award. TheMrO-hout week is retained with the right to extend hours above 40 in unavoidable circumstances or emergency work, in which case the only limitation is an 80 hour fortnight. The number of holidays remain the same, but in lieu of two days’ holiday being granted the men as mutually agreed upon, two days have been added to the annual holidays making seven working days, with an extension to 12 days in the case of workers who have five years or more continual service. An allowance of 2/6 per week is provided for workers using’their bicycles in the business of the employer. The new wages provide an increase of one penny pei’ hour for all workers, corresponding to the increases recently granted in the South Island Local Bodies’ Employees’ settlement. The new wages are 2/51 per hour for hourly workers and £4/18/4 per week for weekly workers. An increase of 5/- per week in the wages for abattoir workers was agreed upon, the new rates being as follow: —Head slaughterman, £6/5/-; assistant slaughterman, £6; stockman, £5/15/-. The new award will be deemed to have come into operation on January 3 last and will expire on March 31, 1942.

BUTCHERS’ AWARD. The application by the Westland Master Butchers’ Employees’ Union for a new award is being discussed in Conciliation Council at Greymouth, to-day. The Conciliation Commissioner, Mr. S. Ritchie, is presiding and the assessors for the parties are as follow: Employees: Messrs. A. W. Croskery, J. Goodall, R. Weekes and T. Bond; employers: Messrs. H. F. Butland, G. Dick, S. Stewart and M. J. Fogarty. The discussions were still proceeding when the “Star” went to press.