DEFENCE WORKERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 April 1943, Page 3

DEFENCE WORKERS

NO CHANGE IN HOURS. WELLINGTON, April 1. The Commissioner of Defence Construction (Mr. J. Fletcher) said to-night that the message from Auckland on Wednesday relating to hours of work on defence work was incorrect. “No change in the workin? hours as set out in the Defence Works Labour Legislation Suspension Order, 1942, Amendment No. 3, is proposed,” said Mr. Fletcher, “and the statement that a five-day week was to operate from April 1 is not the position. “I did agree, however, that on certain specified contracts where the amount payable for travelling time was so great that the four and a Quarter hours of work on Saturday morning did not warrant the expense, alternate weeks of eight and three-quarter hours on five days and eight and a half on Saturday, and five days of eight and three-quarter hours, equalling 96 hours a fortnight, could, if a majority of the workmen on a job so desired, be agreed to by local defence workers labour committees, provided -the consent of the district engineer of the Public Works Department was obtained. ‘•Representations for the alteration mentioned in the Press Association message were made to the district engineer at Auckland, but it has been decided after full consideration to mee t the position on the basis I have outlined.”