RESTAURANT WORKERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23044, 21 November 1936, Page 9

RESTAURANT WORKERS

FORTY-HOUR WEEK REFUSED BUSINESS SEVERELY HIT ALREADY (Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, Nov. 20. An intimation to the parties concerned in the New Zealand Federated Hotel and Restaurant Employees industrial dispute that in the award to be made the Court of Arbitration would fix the maximum ordinary weekly hours at 44 was given in a memorandum of the court delivered to-day by Mr Justice Page. His Honor said;— “The business of supplying casual meals to the public is essentially a retail one, and necessitates in the majority of cases the keeping of premises open for long periods each day. Some businesses are open for five days and a-half, some for six days, and some for seven days a wSek. In such diverse conditions I: would seem essential, in making an award which will apply to over 1000 parties comprising a wide variety of businesses, to fix the hours of work for the employees so that no undue handicap will be placed on those carrying on the business. “ In our view the evidence given has established that the shortening of the working hours to 44 and the restoration '■of the 1931 rates of wages have increased costs to a point where further increases cannot be met. It has been shown that the extra charges made for meals have not resulted in any substantial improvement in income and that further increases in prices will have no beneficial effect. We therefore find it impracticable to carr: on this industry efficiently on a 40-hour week, and accordingly intimate to the parties that in the award to be made we shall fix the maximum ordinary weekly hours at 44.” “ The work done by these.-workers is exactly the same as that done by the workers in licensed hotels, to which the court has granted a 40hour week,” said Mr Monteith, in his judgment. “ The workers, under the Licensed Hotel Workers’ award and these workers have had the same conditions for well over 20 years. It seems to me that if the work can be performed in a 40-hour week in the one case it certainly can in tjie other.”