The Forty-hour Week

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 157, 6 July 1936, Page 6

The Forty-hour Week

SATURDAY HOLIDAY Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, July 4. Two decisions given by tho Arbitration Court decide that the 40-hour week shall apply to sawmills, box factories, timber yards, woollen mills, and hosiery cud knitting factories as from September 1. Provision is made for an adjustment of wages feo that the weeitly rate shall not be lowered. In the decision regarding woollen mills and hosiery and knitting factories the Court ruled that no part of the working week shall fall on a Saturday. iu the case of the sawmilling, boxmalting*, and timber-yard applications, which wore heard separately, ana which concerned 170 occupiers of sawmills, 54 occupiers of box-making factories, and 50 occupiers of timbei yards, the Court stated that as the various awards overlap, and us some of them- cover all three industries, they were dealt with in the one judgment. The Court, after careful consideration of the evidence and submissions, decided that it had not been established that it would bo impracticable to carry ou efficiently any of the industries or the work of tho factories in question on a 40-hour week. An order was accordingly made amending the awards concerned by fixing at 40 the maximum number of hours (exclusive of overtime) to be worked in any week by any worker bound by such awards. An order was also made adjusting the rates of pay so that no reduction would bo made in weekly- earnings, but the question of Saturday work was held over. Iu the case of woollen mills, aud hosiery and Kniuuig factories, tho same conclusion was arrived at and a similar order was made with the addition ihat an order was made tbit no parr, cl the working week should fall on a Saturday. Paper-pRi WcNccrs. By a judgment given t.?-cv«.y’ tho Arbitration Court amends the Otago and Southland paper mills employees’ award as from September 1 so that the hours of w-ork for those bound by the aw-ard shall be not more than forty (exclusive of overtime) iu any one week. Rates of pay prevailing ou September 1 are to be adjusted so that the ordinary rate of weekly wages si.ab not be reduced. The Court stated that it had not been established that it would bo impracticable to carry on efficiently the industry- or the work of the factory in question on a 40-hour week.

List to Bite INDUSTRIES CONCERNED. The following are the industries affected by the application of tho fortyhour v, eel: after September 1, according to the decisions given by the Arbitration Court to date: Footwear manufacturers. Sawniilling industry. Box-making lactones. Timber yarns. V-'oollen mills. Hosiery and knitting factories. Paper mills. Ammunition manufacturers. Chemical manure workers (by mutual agreement).

lore Decisions of the Court