No Increase In Pay For Workers In Dairy Factories

Northern Advocate, 20 December 1945, Page 3

No Increase In Pay For Workers In Dairy Factories

The Arbitration Court has declined an application for the amendment, by increasing all rates of wages by varying amounts, of the New Zealand Dairy Factories Award. The application was made pursuant to the clause in the Economic Stabilisation Regulations, which gives power to the Court to amend an award for the purpose of restoring or preserving a proper relationship with the rates of remuneration of other workers, or classes of workers. In its judgment, the Court stated that it had amended the award in

(Special.) WELLINGTON, This Day

accordance with the application of the parties on' May 2, 1945. The dairy factory employees had, in general, received an increase of 11s 3d a week since the introduction of stabilisation. EASE KATE Moreover, the nominal base rate set out in the latest amendment to their award for "all other workers” was £5 Is 3d a week, which was identical with the minimum base rate in several other factory awards. Giving a dissenting opinion, Mr A. L. Monteith, the workers’ member of the Court, said he considered that at least £5 4s 2d a week should have been taken as the base rate, particularly when some allowance should be made for the seasonal nature of the industry. Saying that the Court had recently increased the minimum wages for weekly labourers, he cited several recent amendments to awards by which the minimum rates for workers on a 40-hour week had been fixed at £5 5s or more.