WATERSIDERS’ EARNINGS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22439, 20 September 1947, Page 6

WATERSIDERS’ EARNINGS

<P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept- 20The secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Employers’ Association stated that yesterday’s hold-up of waterfront work at Lyttelton gave emphasis to his recent statement concerning the waterside workers enjoying a wage margin of one penny an hour above the rate of pay for skilled tradesmen because when it was granted waterside work was considered of a casual nature. Though no labour was offering at yesterday, the employers were obliged to engage men required for today's jobs on Thursday morning. These men when they report today receive. by order of the Waterfront Commission, three hours minimum at time and a half (equal to 16s 6d as from October 1), even though the ship for which they have been engaged may not have arrived in port as expected, or that rain may prevent work. The men’s earnings for Saturday, therefore,_ were guaranteed on Thursday, despite the fact that the employers were prevented from deciding yesterday to what extent they would need their services today.

While the _ employers were required to comply with such orders, the secretary added, and to guarantee work in each week to a value of £s—if a watersider earns, say, £l2 in one week and £3 the next, the £3 must be made up to £5-—it was difficult to see how the commission justified maintaining the watersiders’ hourly rale on a casual basis, which was fixed when the hours were about 30 a week, against the present basis of over 40,