ARBITRATION AWARDS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 69, 20 February 1932, Page 2

ARBITRATION AWARDS.

VIEWS OF BAKERS. OVERHEAD COSTS INCREASED. “The recent awards relative to our industry are sufficiently unsatisfactory to necessitate our framing the claims for the 1933 awards to fit the industry, rather than endeavouring to make the industry fit the awards,” stated Mr D. E. Dustin (Wanganui) in an address to the New Zealand Master Bakers’ Conference at Palmerston North yesterday. “The new bakers’ award,” he added, “increases our overhead costs by reducing the hours of work allowed in any one day from ten to eight, thereby causing from two to four hours’ unnecessary overtime weekly. If we were under the Factories Act we could work 8} hours daily. Overhead costs are also increased by abolishing the right to earlier starting before ■ holidays, by abolishing the right for an earlier start without overtime to serve public transports, by ' abolishing employers’ right to fix starting time’in townships under 1600. by- abolishing the four hour limit of double time,, and by preventing junior .labourers from being employed except where "two adult labourers are employed. The latter clause will throw up to-. 400 youths put of employment in New Zealand. • The Industrial Conciliation-and Arbitration Act has servedits purpose, and unless the system is altered, there will be very few employers left -on 1 “It is impossible to consider an award to-dav ; without realising, that the present lack of employment must have somp. bearing on. the award. . We have, throughout the Dominion, erroneously- drifted on to a dangerous course through advocacy or endorsement of the policy of the Labour Department overlooking breaches of awards. An award should be observed or abolished. A five-day week, 40 or 44 hour week cannot eqnitably •be forced on to employers. We should have the right to employ as many unskilled workers as we can pay. The provisions of the Factories, Act are quite a sufficient safeguard for -the employee. If we are to concede preference we should also receive the same from union members.” Subsequently there was a discussion upon the position. •