FIVE-DAY WEEK TO END.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19235, 26 January 1926, Page 10

FIVE-DAY WEEK TO END.

LOCAL CLOTHING FACTORIES. DECISION OF THE EMPLOYERS. ECHO OF RECENT AWARD. In accordance with tho decision of the employers tho clothing factories in Auckland will work a six-day week of 44 hours from February 1, in pursuance of the clothing trade awards. During the past few years a number of factories have been working a five-day week, closing from Friday evening until Monday morning. As the Factories Act limits the daily hours of work for female workers to 8), the weekly hours have been limited to 41£. The five-day week was introduced in the first place as a war measure nnd has been continued in a number of factories by mutual arrangement between the employers and their employees. Owing to the efforts of the Employees' Union in recent Arbitration Court proceedings to have the five-day week embodied in the clothing trade awards, the employers have unanimously decided to work a sixday week of 44 hours as a counter move. " * REQUEST BY CAMPING GANG. POWER BOARD'S AGREEMENT. A request from the Auckland Electrical Workers' Union for a five-day week for a camping gang now working at Manurewa gave rise to a discussion at a meeting of the Auckland Power Board yesterday. The men at present work 5j days, amounting to 44 hours, and would still work 44 hours a week under the five-day week asked for. Tho reason given for the request was that the arrangement would enable the men to get to town on a Saturday. The general manager, Mr. R. H. BartIcy, reported that there were inconveniences attached to a gang of men who were camping that were absent in the caso of ordinary gangs, and in recognition of these inconveniences an allowance of 3s a day a man was made wlien the gang was started. He made it clear that he was in favour of granting the request provided it was not made a precedent in other cases.

Mr. M. J. Bennett said he had no objection to meet a request from tho men, but he was doubtful whether the matter would stand where it was.

Mr. S. I. Crookes definitely opposed the request. " I have never been able to have Saturdays off in my business," he said, " and 1 do not expect I ever shall." Mr. J. Eowe said that as long a:3 the gang had a good foreman and the board got value from the men's work he could not see what there was to object about. " It is all very well for Mr. Crookes to say ho does not get Saturdays off," said the speaker, good-humouredly; "he is in business on his own account and can get any day in the week off. He has only to ask himself and he can get a day off." (Laughter.) Mr. Crookes replied that it was not such an easy matter for him to ta,ko. a day off. His working day was frequently one of 18 hours.

The chairman, Mr. W. J, Holdsworth, moved that the union's request be granted. The motion was seconded and carried, Messrs. Crookes and Bennett asking that their negative votes be recorded.