CLERICAL WORKERS

Grey River Argus, 10 February 1938, Page 7

CLERICAL WORKERS

Award Claims WIDE RANGE IN WAGES. [Per Press Association]. WELLINGTON, February 9. The first claims for a Dominion award for clerical workers were heard by the Conciliation Council today, Mr. R. E. Price presiding. Previously. the highest scale for male workers was £5 5s weekly for workers between the seventh and ninth years. Now the workers claim a maximum of £6 weekly for workers between the ninth and eleventh years. The scale for juniors is practically untouched. The workers also ask that the female rates should be at least 60 per cent, of the rates fixed for male workers. The scale asked for females reaches a maximum of £3/15/- between the sixth and seventh years, compared with £2/15/- in the present Wellington award. ■: The workers also ask that the annual holiday should be increased from one week yearly to a fortnight. A new claim by the workers is a wage of £6 weekly for workers of 26 years of age and over. The employers’ counter-proposals are based on the existing Wellington award, which provides a maximum of £5 5s weekly for males and £2 15s for females. WOOL AND HIDE WORKERS. NOT SATISFIED WITH AWARD. - ' WELLINGTON, February 9. Dissatisfaction with the terms of the award, and with the constitution of the Arbitration Court, was expressed at a meeting held yesterday, of the workers engaged in wool, hide, and grain stores. The fact that Saturday morning work is to be paid for at ordinary time rates was severely criti‘cised, and the opinion was expressed that the Court, in providing ordinary rates, had violated the: provisions of the Shops and Offices Act and the Factories Act, which stated that all time worked over 40 hours shall be paid for at time and a-half, and where practicable, Saturday morning work shall be eliminated. In joining with the unions in other districts, in condemning the decision of the Court to reduce permanent hands’ wages by Is 6d per week, _ the meeting placed on record its opinion that there had been a violation of the Labour Government’s pledge that, where there was a 40-hour week existing, wages would not be reduced. Exception was also taken to retrospective wages being paid from January 1 onlv, and not from December 23.