AN ENGINEER'S HOURS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23505, 16 November 1939, Page 12

AN ENGINEER'S HOURS

APPLICATION POSTPONED MR. MONTEITH'S PROTEST The application of the New Zealand Engine-drivers, River Engineers, Marine Engine-drivers, Greasers, Firemen and Assistants' Union to the Arbitration Court for a new award covering the Kaipara Steamship Company has he.cn postponed by a majority of the Court until the February sittings. The employees' representative on the Court, Air. A. L. Monteith, has entered a dissenting opinion. The Judge, Mr. Justice O'Regan, described tho circumstances surrounding the case as unusual. Tho union's application would havo made the exemption granted to the Knipara Steamship Company by the Court in December last a nullity, although the award had more than a year to run, lie said. The company's representative admitted that the engineer on the Ruawai had been obliged to work unduly long hours, and he undertook that an additional fireman would be employed forthwith, and so an end would be put to the excessive hours.

Mr. Monteith said that at the first hearing evidence was given that the engineer worked 70 hours a week and at the hearing on Monday the hours were stated to have increased to between 80 and 90 a week. "This man has no protection in regard to wages, overtime or conditions." continued Mr. Monteith, "and the application is mado by the union to remedy this very undesirable state of affairs. In view of the evidence that the worker worked over 70 hours a week, I was not in agreement -with the majority of the Court when they gave exemption from the last award, and I think we should deal with this ca'ie :\t the earliest possible moment so than 80 to 90-hour weeks will belong to the past." He thought that injustice had been the lot of this worker, and that at the earliest possible moment it should be remedied.