TAILORS ON PIECEWORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20959, 24 August 1931, Page 5

TAILORS ON PIECEWORK.

WAGES CUT REDUCED. FIVE PER CENT. NOW FIXED. The application of the Auckland Tailors' Union for exemption from, the Arbitration Court's recent 10 per cent, reduction in wages has been granted to the extent that piece-workers covered by the award are to have a reduction of 5 per cent. only. In a memorandum covering this decision the president •of the Court, Mr. Justice Frazer says:—"The Court is unable to make, an order in the case of time-workers, but the position of piece-workers is on a somewhat different footing. These workers 'have had an increase on the "'time-statement' rate of only 3£d an hour since 1914, and a reduction of 10 per cent, on the present rate (Is 5d an hour) would reduce the 3|d by nearly 50 per cent. —to I.Bd. The increases granted by recent awards do not appear to have kept pace with those granted to other workers in the trade, even though allowances be made for pieceworkers generally receiving lower percentage increases than time-workers. "The Court, therefore, considers that the reduction in the case of the 'timestatement' for piece-workers should be 5 per cent, in lieu of 10 per cent."