TAILORING TRADE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17666, 19 December 1917, Page 10

TAILORING TRADE.

ARBITRATION AWARD. The decision of the Arbitration Court in the tailois’ dispute has been filed. Tlie principal conditions are as follow: Forty-eight hours per- week, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., the 'hours of females to be those prescribed by the Factories Act. A minimum wage of £3 5s for men, including pressers, and £1 10s tor women for the first six months, after the completion of apprenticeship and thereafter £1 15s. . The clause regarding piecework recorded in the Book of Awards, vol. 7, pace 5R2, is incorporated in the award, time being reckoned at Is Id for men and 9d per hour for women When other than weekly hands are employed at ladies’ tailoring, tho work may bo done at log rates or at Is Gd an ‘hour by the clock, at tlie option of the employer. A provision is included for an additional payment up to 20 per cent for an employee making more than the normal weekly output. Overtime for weekly hands, from 6 p.m. till 10 p.m., is time and a quarter; from 10 p.m- till midnight, time and a half; from midnight till 6 a.m., double time; and from G a.m. till S a.m., time and a quarter. For pieceworkers, from 6 p.m. till 10 p.m., it is 4id an hour extra; from 10 p.m. till midnight, 9d; from midnight till 6 a.m., Is 6d; and from 6 a.m. till 8 a.m., 4-Jd. All work after 1 p.m. on the halfholiday will be paid double for weekly hands, and Is an hour extra for pieceworkers. All timet lost by a worker shall be made up beforo overtime is payable. Female pieceworkers will receive two-thirds the rates of male pieceworkers. The award will take effect from February 4, 1918, to February 4, 1920, or six months after the close of the war. In connection with the award the decision of tho Court is accompanied by a memorandum. This memorandum is the same as has been filed at the several centres in New Zealand where Arbitration Court proceedings took place. The essential points are as follow: It appeared that even prior to the war, the tailoring trade was in a declining condition. This was duo apparently to the competition of factorymade garments. Since the war, the tailoring trade had apparently gone from had to worse, duo to a variety of causes. In tho first place a very largo number of regular customers had enlisted, whilst the increased price of materials had driven customers to'tho factories, which wero ablo to produce an article nt fairly moderate prices. It was mado apparent to the Court that unless a radical alteration was mado in the system of tailoring the trade was likely to becomo extinct. The only remedy suggested was that tho restriction at present imposed upon tho trade by the provisions' of the existing awards should be removed, and that the dilution of skilled labour should be allowed by the employment of women. After consideration, the Court decided that the restriction in awards should be removed, but that the number of women should be limited to the proporion of skilled workers employed. The. time log rate had been fixed at the uniform rata of Is Id per hour for the whole of the Dominion. With the exception of Auckland, this represented an increase. In order that the Conditions of work should be availed of it would he necessary that steps should he taken to procure some modification of the condition of the present tailoressos’ awards. The Court reserved tho right to modify the condition of this award if, after hearing a tailoresses’ dispute, it was thought desirable. A majority of the Court determined to issue the award in its present form.