SUGAR WORKERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23504, 15 November 1939, Page 14

SUGAR WORKERS

]S T EW AWARD ISSUED SOME WAGE INCREASES HIS HONOR'S MEMORANDUM Increases in wages ranging up to 5s a week have been granted bv the Arbitration Court to certain classes of workers in the sugar refining industry in the new award issued yesterday for the Birkenhead sugar works employees. Ordinary hours of work remain at 40 weekly for the majority of workers, nnd annual leave of ono week 011 full pay is allowed. At the hearing Mr. C. Chandler, secretary of the union, appeared for tho employees, and Mr. E. G. Upton, of Sydney, industrial officer for the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, Limited, for the employers.

111 ail attached memorandum tho Judge of tho Court, Mr. Justice O'Regan, says that by the award dated July 18, 1921, tho minimum weekly wago prescribed for sugar workers was £4, to which was added a war bonus of 5s a week pending the further order of the Court. In May and November, 1922, tho Court issued general orders reducing the bonus and wage rates generally bj' 5s and 3s a week, respectively, and thus tho baso weekly rate for sugar workers became £3 17s. This rate remained in operation until tho award dated August 3, 1926, which fixed the minimum at £4 Is. The Union's Demands The last award, which carao into operation on December 13, 1937, ordained an increase of 8s weekly for shift workers, of whom there are about 70 in the respondent company's employment, and an increase of 5s weekly for all other workers, and an annual paid holiday of ono week. "Nevertheless," continued His Honor, "the Court has just been confronted with claims comprised in seventeen clauses of which only three or four—and these merely machinery clauses —had been settled by the parties in conciliation council, and in tho course of an address covering 4G typewritten pages, the union advocate informed tho Court that its last award was disappointing. The claims included a demand for an advance in wages exceeding 15 per cent, a fortnight's paid holiday annually, and tho further curtailment of hours. No Sweeping Changes "The Court could not entertain, nor did the evidence justify, such sweeping changes. In respect of certain workers, however, including the rigging and yard gang, whose work appeared moro than usually exacting, or requiring more than ordinary skill, the Court has granted increases ranging up to 5s a week, shift workers have been granted 3s 4d weekly additional payment in lino with the provisions of other awards, watchmen have been advanced from 2s 3d to 2s 4£d an hour, and several minor anomalies have been regularised. "It is interesting and significant that of the seven witnesses called by tho union, two had been with the respondent company for 15 years, two for 14 and 13 years respectively, one for nine years, ono for eight years, and only ono for the comparatively short period of 18 months. Tho parties themselves agreed upon ono year as the term of the award." Mr. Monteith's Dissent "I dissent from this award because of the basis of wages," states Mr. A. Jj. Monteith, the employees' representative on the Court. "In 1921 tho workers received £4 5s and to-day £4 6s, an increase of Is in 18 years. Also; the shift rate, in my opinion, should be at least Is 6d a shift. To-day in Queensland this company pays its workers double time, and generally today employers and employees agree on rates varying from Is 6d to 3s a shift, according" to the circumstances." In its claims the union asked for general overtime at timo and a-balf for the first three hours and double time thereafter.