BREACH OF AWARD

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 60, 10 February 1925, Page 6

BREACH OF AWARD

WAITRESSES PROCEEDED AGAINST. FINE OF £1 IMPOSED. At the Ma trial rate's Court this morning, before Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., the inspector of awards (Mr J. Lowden) proceeded against Neva Eileen and M. Kilcolly on the grounds that, being workers within the moaning of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act and its amendments, and persons bound by an award, did, while in the service of 11. B. Tucker, fail to give 48 hours' notice of the termination of their services as required by clause 8 of the award. Mr Tucker's evidence was to tho effect that one employee had given formal notice while five employees had left without notice. As a result ho had been considerably inconvenienced owing to the shortage in staff. Larger payments had to be made to male employees who replaced the waitresses. The head waitress had been a disturbing element and when she had left, she had induced the three defendants in the present case to leave with her. Mr Ongley, who appeared for the defendants, pointed out inconsistencies in the Act and stressed the misconceptions which might arise in its interpretation. The Magistrate remarked that probably any person reading one of the clauses in the Act would take it that he or she wets able to leave tho employer's service on sacrificing two days' pay. The Magistrate, on ascertaining that this was the first breach of the award locally, fined each of the defendants £l.