HIGHER PAY WANTED

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11735, 24 January 1924, Page 2

HIGHER PAY WANTED

BY CASUAL WORKEiS

DEPUTATION WAITS ON HARBOUR BOARD. FIGURES QUOTED. The casual employees of the Wellington Harbour Board want a rise in wages, and they sent a deputation to the board last night to make the re. quest for them. Mr L. Glover said the deputation had been requested by a meeting of the casual employees to place their case before the board. The basic wage set down by the Oourt of Arbitration was £3 16s Id, and, taking a pronouncement of the court, 25 per cent, should be added for the harbour board casuals, making a minimum of £4 15s Id. Figures showed that a set of 43 top men received £3 7a 7d, which was 8s 6d per week less than the court’s basic wage, and, with overtime, 7s Id le6e per week. Men outside the 48 top men got £2 17s lOd ordinary time and with overtime £3 16s 6d, so that they were 18s 3d short every week. The men of the gangway gangs were short of £1 5s a week on ordinary time. Comparing the wage paid by the Harbour Board with that paid by the City Council, Mr Glover said the City Council paid general labourers £4 4s and men in the Ngahauranga quarry £4 17s. The gas company paid unskilled men £4 7s sd. Among the casual men were some of the pick of the waterside workers. If the board compelled euoh men to eke out an existence on £3 7s 7d the gocd men would leave and the places would bo filled by men who were not as competent or as desirable. The Ixtard’s policy of keeping the casual men on an inadequate wage could hardly be termed an. incentive to honesty. Mr J. Laurenson also spoke in support of the request. The chairman of the board (.Mr G. Mitchell) said that , the figures quoted by the deputation were taken from the worst six months the hoard had experienced, and it would have been better to have taken the latest figures available. The chairman said he would like to know what the deputation would think if it were suggested that the “roster” should be reduced. It bad been reduced awhile ago, and the point was that the effect would be to inprease the pay of the men who remained. The increased trade of the port in the last six months had meant increased earnings for the men. The latest figures showed that the top men earned as follows: Average, £4 12s 6d; highest, £5 8s 6d; lowest, £3 15s Bd. Gangway mien received: Average, £3 18s Id; highest, £4 6s 3d; lowest, £3 6s 6d. The 60 odd men’s receipts worked out thus: Average, £3 8s 2d; highest, £4 4s 10d- lowest, £2 8s 7d. Mr Mitchell thought the matter was one that should go before the Arbitration Court. Mr Glover said the case could not go to the court without the consent of the board, and he hoped the board would give its consent. He said he had based his case on the only figures available. If there were other figures that should bo considered, ho was agreeable the cafe should Ve based on them. The chairman informed the deputation that the representations of the deputation would he considered.