MILK ROUNDSMEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25053, 17 November 1944, Page 6

MILK ROUNDSMEN

NEW AWARD ISSUED CHANGE IN HOURS MADE The hours of Auckland milk roundsmen have been reduced from'Bß to 80 a fortnight by an Arbitration ,Cou|t award which will operate on Monday. The award provides that work shall be performed on ten consecutive days of the fortnight except in cases agreed upon by tlie employer and the union secretary. Although tho roundsmen's minimum wage of £5 a week remains the same, ,tlio .extra payment of 5s a week for relieving roundsmen has been increased to 7s. The union's claims for overtime for work done before 4 a.m. and -double time for Sundays have not been granted. In the previous award the hours were fixed at 88, of which 80 were to be worked on ten days. The remaining hours up to eight, if worked, were* to be paid for at 3s 9d an hour in addition to the weekly wage of £5. In a memorandum to the new award, Mr Justice Tyudall said that tho fortnightly hours of work at ordinary rates of pay had hot been reduced. The new award provides that overtime shall be paid-for at the rate of time and a-half for the first three hours and double time thereafter. , ... In dissenting from the decision regarding tho hours of work, the employers' representative on. the Court, Mr W. Cecil Prime, said that the prosent hours were, in the first place, agreed upon by the parties and had been repeated by tho Court after hearing argument and evidence similar to that adduced on this occasion. The industry was governed by tho Shops and Offices Act, being a retail trade, and should be entitled to operate over a similar number of hours to those observed bv other retail trades. ! "The reduction now to be enforced will entail not fewer hours of work for employees, but greater payment in overtime 'rates," said Mr Prime. "The statement that the fortnightly hours of work at ordinary rates of pay have not been reduced is simply avoiding the issue. In my opinion, observance of the Stabilisation Regulations demands the retention of the present hours." TYPE OF WORK NEUROTIC EX-SOLDIERS CITY COUNCIL CRITICISED Advice that the Auckland City Council was prepared to participate in a scheme to help neurotic ex-servicemen, but without making hard and fast rules and with a 100 per cent subsidy on costs, was given to the monthly meetin"- of the Auckland District Rehabilitation Committee yesterday. Reporting on the progress of the intermediate scheme designed to help neurotic -men by placing them on work such as planting gardens, Mr M. Simmonds, rehabilitation officer, said tho council was prepared to take men under those conditions. It had offered what work was available in parks and reserves, but could not superintend the work. "Mr Allum has said he is prepared to do all in his power, but is that only lip service?" asked ATr A. P. Postlewaite. "I do not like that attitude from the council or any local body that says it wants to deal with rehabilitation and does not want to pay one pennypiece toward it._ I am astounded to hear that that is tho position." The chairman, Mr F. Hackett, M.P., said ho did not think the people of Auckland would like the City Council to have those men carrying on its maintenance work. _ The council seemed to have thorn in mind for drainage works, or something of the kind. Tile chairman and Mr Postlewaite were appointed speakers for a delegation of tho whole rehabilitation committee to wait on the City Council concerning the scheme. The rehabilitation officer was instructed to make inquiries from other local bodies to see if they would help. \