OVERTIME & PENAL RATES OF PAY FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS DECISION

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22612, 15 April 1948, Page 6

OVERTIME & PENAL RATES OF PAY FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS DECISION

(S.R.) WELLINGTON, April 14. Thousands of public servants will benefit from a decision to pay overtime and penal rates of pay to all departments, with certain limitations, as from April 1.

This provision from the Factories Act was requested a year ago by the Public Service Association, whose journal states that while they do not fully satisfy the association’s claims, they represent very large gains benefiting a large proportion of its membership.

The Public Service Commissioner when the overtime request was first made alleged that there was an abuse of overtime in the service. Precautions Against Abuse The details of (he new scheme have yet to be determined to ascertain how all categories of workers will be affected. and to provide stringent precautions against the abuse of overtime. Overtime rates have been considerably liberalised. They will now be paid in general for work in excess of eight hours a day, or 40 hours a week. This will not apply in the meantime, however, (o those on irregular rosters, as, for example, where “long" and “short” weeks alternate or “long” days arc compensated for by days "off.” It is hoped in most of such cases as these to change over to more regular rosters from May 1. Other principal alterations affecting overtime payment are the lifting of the limitation on hourly rates to 10s, the removal altogether of the limitation ol yearly earnings, and the payment ot

overtime to supervising officers in the same way as to other stall. Ordinary five-day a week workers are not affected by’ the week-end provisions which benefit roster workers and others who normally work on Saturdays and Sundays. There are thousands of such workers ni the service, including mental hygiene and nursing staffs, prison warders, broadcasting workers, Internal Affairs Department cleaners, lighthouse keepers and various groups in the Air Department and Broadcasting Department. I’enal Time Provisions Many hydro-electric workers are already being paid penal rates as they were actually covered by the Factories Act. Penal time under the new provisions means any time worked on a Saturday afternoon, Sunday or whole holiday. Penal time for any such time worked will be at half-rate for Saturday afternoons, ordinary rate for Sundays, double rate for whole holidays.

These penal rates will be paid in addition to the ordinary week’s salary They will not apply to farm workers, except in certain circumstances.