NEW AWARD ANNOUNCED

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 March 1946, Page 4

NEW AWARD ANNOUNCED

WESTLAND PLASTERERS’ SCHEDULE

A new award, the Canterbury and Westland Plasterers’ Award was recently issued by the Court of Arbitration. This is the first award for solid plasterers in the area defined and was made necessary by the increasing numbers of employers and journeymen registered. Prior to the announcement, payment was mutually agreed upon by employer and employee and, due to the scarcity of labour, the rates were equal to, or slightly greater than those in other districts.

Under the new award journeymen will receive 3/2 an hour, plus the cost-of-living bonus. This rate is on a par with wages paid in other industrial districts.

The revising of apprenticeship orders for Westland is continuing and full agreement has been reached between employers and, the union in regard to the new order for apprentices to the furniture trades. It is expected that painters’ apprentices will have a new order at an early date.

Concern was expressed this morning by the District Registrar of Apprentices, at the number of youths being engaged as apprentices to various trades without the necessary notification being made within three days. In some cases, he stated, months passed before advice was received and the consequent loss of time by both employer and apprentice was entirely the fault of the employer.