ARBITRATION COURT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15900, 11 April 1912, Page 9

ARBITRATION COURT.

WOOLLEN MILL WORKERS’ AWARD. Tlie following is a summary of tlio award made by the Arbitration Court in the industrial dispute between tlio Canterbury woollen mill workers and the employers (Ivaiapoi, Timaru and Ashburton): — Hours of Work.—Forty-eight hours constitute a week’s work. Hours of working at night shall bo arranged botween the mill manager and the majority of the night workers. Should a public holiday intervene, the time lost by any worker through such holiday snail bo deducted from the fortyeight hours, and not from tho overtime. Any time lost by any worker through his or her own default shall be deducted from overtime. Overtime. —Overtime rates: Time and a quarter for tbe first four hours; time and a half afterwards, until start-ing-timo next morning. Double timo for Sundays and holidays prescribed in the Factories Act. Preference is granted and provision is made for under-rate workers. Wages.—Girls on weekly wages: First year Bs, second year 11s, third year 14s, fourth year 203, and thereafter a minimum of 26s per week. Roys and youths: From 14 to 15 years Bs, 15 to 16 years 11s, 16 to 17 years 14s, 17 to IS years 17s 6d, 18 to 19 years 22s Gd, 19 to 20 years 27s Gd, 20 to 21 years 35s and thereafter a minimum wage of 45s per week. Roys and youths on night work: From 16 to 19 year 3 255, 19 to 20 yeaVs 30s, 20 to 21 years 375. and thereafter a minimum wage of 48s per week. Mala workers over 21 years employed as wages hands: Wool sorters 50s, tuners 565, warpers 565, pattern weavers (hand loom) 48s. spinners 50s. carpenters 60s, blacksmiths 60s, all other workers 455. Tlio award will como into force on May 6, 1912, and will continue in force until May 6, 1914. In a memorandum the Court says:— This award is based for the most part on the award of 1902. The principal alterations are: (1) An increase in tho wages of female workers in the unskilled departments. (2) An increase of 3s a week in tho minimum wage for the lowest paid adult workers. In view of tho evidence adduced by the employers as to tlio condition of the industry, tlio Court did not feel justified in increasing the minimum for any of tlio skilled workers, although that minimum may appear low when compared with that paid to other skilled workers. Tho mill workers, however, have the advantage of regular work all the year round. (3) Preference has been granted to Union members. (4) Provision lias been made for the case of weavers working two looms. ENGINEERS’ AWARD. In the case of the Canterbury Engineers’ award (Christchurch branch), the following interpretation has been made:—-All time lost by an apprentice, either through his own fault or through sickness, in any year of his apprenticeship, shall ho made up before such apprentice shall bo considered as having entered upon the next succeeding year of his apprenticeship; but an apprentice working overtime shall have such time added to his ordinary time in calculating the respective years of his apprenticeship. The clause does not apply to timo lost before the award came into force.