THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 17 December 1920, Page 4

THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

THE ACT AND AN AWARD

The Inspector of Factories advr.es iis that a clause in the last grocers' assistants' award reads as follows: "No worker shall be employed after 12 o'clock on the day of the half-holiday, j irrespective of the provisions of section ! 19 and sub-sections of the Shops and' Offices Act." This, he says, means quite clearly that, whatever days are '■ given as the Christmas and New Year holidays, employers cannot open on the day of the ordinary half-holiday in the weeks when the special holidays are given, and adds that employees are liable also for a breach if they work on the usual half-holiday. It is somewhat of an enigma that the main^Act gives authority to open on the usual half-holiday, but it is overridden, says: 'the Inspector, by the special award. He states that he has telegraphed to Wellington for a ruling in connnec-tion with other retail businesses. j