CLOTHING TRADES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23077, 30 June 1938, Page 18

CLOTHING TRADES

TWO FRESH AWARDS REGENT DECISION FOLLOWED COURT NOT UNANIMOUS FIVE-DAY WEEK PROVISION New awards for dressmakers and milliners and for shirt, white and silk workers have been issued by the Second Court of Arbitration, presided over by Mr. Justice Hunter. By agreement these disputes were heard in conjunction with the clothing trades employees' dispute, and they have been settled mainly on the lines of the clothing trades employees' award issued on Juno 15. As in tho case of the main award tho members of tlie Court were not unanimous on all tho clauses, and tho dissents recorded from that award by the lay members of tho Court apply also in the case of the shirt, white and silk workers. In tho case of tho dressmakers and milliners Mr. V. Duff's dissent applies, but though Mr. A. W. v Croskery is not entirely in agreement with tho rates of wages he does not wish to record a formal dissent. Hours and' Pay ; In the case of each of the two new awards hours of work for all classes of workers are to be 40 a week to be worked on the first five days of the week. The wages of femalo apprentices and improvers begin at 17s a week and rise by 4sincrements to £1 9s in the fourth six months. Improvers receive £1 13s a week for the fifth six months and rise to £2 3s for the fourth year, thereafter receiving journeywomen's rates. The minimum wage for journeywomen is £2 10s a = week and for journeywomen employed as cutters £2 15s 6d. Females employed on sorting, ticketing, boxing and distributing work are paid at the same progressive rates as apprentices, improvers and journeywomen. Overtime is to bo paid for at the rate of time and a-half with a minimum of Is 6d an hour. An annual holiday of one week on full pay is to bo allowed to all workers on the completion of each year of service. Piecework is prohibited. Both awards operate throughout the Northern, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago and Southland industrial districts,, and continue in force for one year from July 4, 1938. Saturday Work Clause The dressmakers and milliners' award contains a special provision that where workers are employed in workrooms attached to retail establishments where a five and a-half day week is observed they may be employed on five and a-half days in the week for tho purpose of attending to any urgent work which is in hand or which may come in on Saturday. Such Saturday morning work is to be distributed as evenly as possible by a roster system. The minimum wage for second-class chart cutters is fixed at £4 17s 6d a week and for stock cutters, trimmers and male examiners £4 12s 6d a week. Special clauses in the shirt, white and silk workers' award provide that in all cases where a bonus is paid the basis on which it is calculated shall be negotiated between representatives of the workers concerned in the factory and the employer. In factories where a. bonus system is in operation no deduction shall be made from the bonus in respect to any holidays prescribed by this award or by tho Factories Act.

DOMINION TERMS NEITHER SIDE PLEASED MOVE FOR AMENDMENT NEGOTIATIONS . UNSUCCESSFUL [BT TELEGRAPH —PRESB ASSOCIATION] CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday The Dominion clothing trades' award I issued by the Second Court of Arbitration on June 16> to which both the ls?y members of the Court attached dissenting memoranda on tho subject of wages, has not pleased either employers or Sinco the provisions of the award were announced negotiations have been carried cn a view to approaching the Court to secure an amendment, but these nave broken down and the award will have to be accepted as it stands. A statement to this effect was made this morning by Mr. J. Boberts, secretary of the Canterbury Tailoring Trades' Union, who last week visited Wellington in connection with the negotiations. "An attempt was recently made to secure an amendment to th© award, Mr. Boberts said. "It was felt by both parties that tho award was satisfactory and, accordingly, negotiations were opened to effect a settlement that would bo reasonably acceptable to both sides. However, those negotiations have failed and the award will now have to be accepted as it was issued. That is owing to the fact that it is necessary for both parties to be unanimous when approaching tho Court for an award amendment. Wo failed to reach that unanimity." Beferring to the unsatisfactory conditions in the award, Mr. Boberts explained that the employers objected to the rates of pay given apprentices and improvers, while tho. workers objected to the rates set out for journeymen, which were less than the Arbitration Court pronouncement fixing tho rate of pay for unskilled workers at 2s 4d an hour. V. ' •