PAID HOLIDAYS

Grey River Argus, 13 December 1938, Page 7

PAID HOLIDAYS

WEEK PER YEAR Employers’ Attitude [Per Press Association.] ;; . WELLINGTON, December 10. Commenting upon the. statement from Christchurch that clothing factry workers would receive paid .holidays at Christmas if agreement-was given ’ey provincial employers’ organisations, Mr A. W. Nesbitt, secretary ■of the Wellington Manufacturers’ Association, stated that ever since [the clothing trades awards were issued last June there had been an element of uncertainty as to the meaning of the annual holiday clauses, which: jorovide that workers, after 12 months' service, were to get a week’s holiday on full pay. "■ ■ y.All three awards, however,' Were silent as to whether the qualifying period of 12 months must be served after the award came into operation, or whether periods of service partly or wholly served before the coming into operation of the awards were to be taken into account.

The view of the employees.was that workers who had completed 12 months of service in June last, when the awards were made, iiriiriediately became entitled to a week’s holiday, while the employers contended that only time served under the awards was to be taken into account.

The position, said Mr Nesbitt, could be clarified by stating [ that in the event of,,the workers’ contention being upheld, workers with 18' months’, service to their credit to-day. would be entitled to a week’s holiday and would have a further credit of two and a half days towards the "next annual leave, while, on the employers’ basis of calculation, only two arid a half days’ holiday or pay, "in addition to Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, would have accrued. A totally’ different interpretation of the clause was suggested by a recent judgment of the Court of Arbitration, from which it would appear that every year "of the workers’ service must stand alone and that the holiday was due on completion of the current year or service. The current year of service could be defined as that year commencing from the anniversary of the day of original engagement, a part of which came within the period covered by the present awards. The above interpretation, however, was not entirely acceptable to" the workers, who wanted the annual holiday stabilised at Christmas, and in an endeavour to reach a compromise acceptable to all, conferences were .held in Wellington a few days ago, when a tentative agreement was reached. Several minor clauses of the Wellington agreement were not acceptable in other centres and a further" conference was called in Christchurch; at which the settlement outlined in . the message was reached. The Wellington Manufacturers’ Association convened a meeting of -representatives of firms covered by the clothing, shirt white and silk, dressmaking and millinery awards yesterday and the Christchurch settlement was adopted unanimously. Z It is anticipated that if the agreement is ratified'in the other centres iminediate application will be made to the Court for an amendment of the three awards.

A similar problehn exists in .the woolleri mills award, but no compromise has been reached, both side's standing firm on what they regard as their rights under the award.. .