MINIMUM WAGE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 14 June 1939, Page 4

MINIMUM WAGE

PRiNCIPLE FOLLOWED IN FIXING RATE WORKERS IN SIMILAR INDUSTRIES WELLINGTON. This Day. A judgment of general interest in industrial circles because of the principle involved was delivered recently in Christchurch by Mr J. A. Gilmour, S.M., who held, in accordance with a

j previous ruling by Mr Justice Stringer, | that the Court was not bound, in fix-, ing the minimum wage for workers in one industrial district, to follow the wages agreed on by the parties for i similar classes of workers in another district. The judgment was the subject of a memorandum by Mr Gilmour to the ' paper-bag makers’ award. The only matters in dispute related to rates of I wages of adult mile workers. The ; union sought the rates set out in the northern and Wellington paper-bag j makers’ award. These rates, which were slightly higher than the rates prescribed by the printing trades award, were not fixed by the Court, but were agreed upon by the parties. The union's application was opposed by the employers, on behalf of whom it was submitted by Mr D. I. Macdonald that in view' of the Court’s pronouncements with regard to standard rates, the rates should be fixed at £5 5s for tr.e skilled workers and £4 8s 4d for the other workers. It was also submitted that a greater degree of skill and knowledge was required of male and female workers in the printing industry than in the paper-bag making industry. -I tis true that the Court regards the fact that employers and workers in any district have agreed to a minimum wage as strong evidence that such wage is fair and reasonable, and, other things being equal, the Court frequently adopts that wage as the minimum wage for the purpose of an award made later in the industry in another district. said Mr Gilmour. ‘ But, to j duote his Honour Mr Justice Stringer. ! that cannot be accepted as a hard and fast rule, for to do so would mean ! that the rate was determined not by the judgment of the Court as to what , was fair and reasonable, but by an agreement of the parties in a particuj lar district as a result possibly of j purely local considerations.” i The rates fixed by the magistrate were in accordance with the printing j trades award, £5 7s 6d for skilled work- | ers and £4 10s for other workers. The magistrate held that firms covered by Ibis award were principally engaged in the printing industry and carried ] cm the industry of cardboard box making. etc., in conjunction therewith, the workers being interchangeable.