MINIMUM WAGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23162, 7 October 1938, Page 16

MINIMUM WAGE

FREEZING WORKERS' AWARD INTERPRETATION SOUGHT An applicatoin for interpretation of the freezing workers' award was brought before tho Arbitration Court, presided over by Mr. Justice O'Regan, yesterday. Mr. Tuck appoared for tho Freezing Workers' Union, Mr. Lislo Alderton for the employers, and Mr. C. P. Smith for the Department of Labour. The matter in issue was the minimum wage of slaughter-house assistants, and the question put to the Court was: —"Can an omployer include in the minimum average wage of a 'slaughter-house assistant the earnings of such employee at work other than that of a slaughter-house assistant?" In the application to the Court it was stated that the question arose because the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company, .Limited, had employed at its Southdown works certain slaughterhouse assistants part of. their time as slaughter-house assistants and part or their time as pig slaughtermen at piece-work rates, and had included the workers' earnings at pig slaughtering in the minimum average wago provided for slaughter-house assistants. _ Mr. Alderton raised tho objections that the matter was one that should be delt with by the disputes committee and that the case stated was a purely hypothetical one. Mr. Smith submitted that the case was not hypothetical, and said it was an application by the department made at the request of the union. After consultation with other members of the Court, His Honor said he did not think it was a practice to bo encouraged to ignore the disputes committee and invoke tho assistance of the Court. However, he agreed that this was not a hypothetical case and tho Court would near tho application; After hearing argument the Court reserved its decision.