INDUSTRIAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23202, 28 May 1937, Page 3

INDUSTRIAL WORLD

NEWS AND NOTES

By J. T. Paul

There appears to be no reason why a State should ever decline. The analogy which compares a nation to an individual is mere fancy; a community is always renewing. If its institutions are but flexible and elastic, if they are but so constituted as to allow of the expansion of man's intellectual energies, and accommodate themselves to their growth, there seems, then, no reason why a State should not " flourish in eternal youth." The comparison should be not with mortal, but with immortal man. —W. J. Fox. COMPULSORY UNIONISM Instances of employers failing to observe the preference to unionists clause in awards have recently been brought to the notice of several Auckland trades union secretaries (says the Star), but in most cases the breaches appear to be rare. One of the unions concerned is the Furniture Trades Union, and the secretary, Mr A. H. Dixon, stated that it had been decided by resolution that prosecutions be instituted in future where employers were found to be committing a breach of the award. " Some employers seem to forget that there is such a thing as a compulsory unionism clause in awards, yet the majority of those made recently place the onus on employers of ensuring that their workmen are members of the union. Cases have come under our notice recently of employers starting men and not troubling to ascertain whether or not they are unionists." said Mr Dixon. Other secretaries indicated that, generally speaking, the preference-to-unionist clause was being observed, although isolated cases were cropping up of non-union labour being engaged. ORGANISATION OF FARMERS Compulsory unionism for farmers was not advocated after committee discussion by the Auckland provincial conference of the Farmers' Union. Such a move was the subject of a remit from five subprovincial executives stating that the union should seriously consider placing farming on the same basis of compulsory unionism as other important industries. The defeated remit held that by comEulsory unionism just benefits would e obtained for the industry. Approval was given a Bay of Islands remit suggesting a conference between the Farmers' Union and interested industrial unions to discuss the possibility of forming joint committees of workers and farmers throughout the country. The duties of the committees would be to endeavour to arrange for handling and storage of farmers' produce in such a way as not to be detrimental to the interests of workers in industrial disputes and yet to save loss t 6 the working farmer. The conference supported a Rotorua remit asking the Government to place the primary industry in a position to attract efficient and necessary labour to operate the industry. A protest was voiced at interference in hours worked in shearing sheds during the shearing season. A suggested eight weeks' apprenticeship for farm labourers was regarded as absurdly inadequate. Supporting a remit from Franklin and Rotorua the conference considered that recent Government proposals for training farm labour were impracticable and for that reason farmers could not be expected to co-operate. It was urged that men on sustenance should be placed on farms and that farmers should pay the difference between sustenance rates and the award wage. SHORTAGE OF TYPISTS A' shortage of trained shorthandtypists in Wellington was revealed by inquiries made by the Post, and it was stated at several commercial colleges that so soon as a girl was competent, she had no difficulty in finding a position. "There is nothing so sudden in this position," said the head of one leading commercial college. "It goes back a long time, in fact to the time of the slump, when many employers turned out their senior operators, and carried on with juniors to save wages. As soon as business improved these people naturally found that they could not cope with their business, and the whole of Wellington suddenly woke up to the fact that there were no senior short-hand-typists. The improvement of business after the slump period is what caused the shortage. Many of the senior girls had drifted through to other occupations. Some of them had married. The services of these girls as shorthand-typists have been lost.

"We have a large number of inquiries for shorthand-typists, hundreds of inquiries every year. We have turned down 80 applications during the last two months, chiefly for junior girls. We do not often have senior girls, though it sometimes happens that one comes to us to be placed. One who liked to have her office time fully occupied came in the other day, wanting a change of employment, and she was placed in a quarter of an hour. Some employers, of course, paid under the ruling wages formerly, but there were others, probably as many, who paid considerably over them. Numbers of employers used to start a girl at 10s a week, and at the expiration of 12 months would give her 2s 6d increase, following that with another half-crown after the next 12 months. A girl, if competent, had often to secure another job before she could get an increase in salary. The Arbitration Court wage is 15s for a junior typist. -There are cases, however, where 30s to 35s is being paid for junior typists, and senior typists are getting well above award rates, and employers are quite pleased to have them working for those wages.

There are more girls in commercial occupations to-day than ever there were since the slump. Some of the senior girls are getting above fie award wages, but there is the chance that the higher wages may not continue in cases where these girls leave, and the award rate of £2 15s may take its place. There is no doubt that all these employees have greatly benefited by the Government's legislation but when,- it comes to paying above award rates, then the question of competition comes into it. and the more highly qualified girl, the one with the greater aptitude for commercial work', gets them." • • •

The shortage of typists was explained by the head of another institution as bein" due to the fact that the wages for junior typists have remained the same for years, 15s to £ 1 per week, and that this has perhaps made girls look round for other work, as shop assistants, in dental clinics, and in Karitane nursing, etc. In his opiniun, there- were fewer girls undertaking this line of livelihood than formerly, though there was no doubt as to the openings awaiting trained typists, while senior girls were in many cases being paid over the award rates. He knew instances where 2in advertisements had been inserted by business men who had pot only three replies, none of the applicants being suitable. He had an average of 20 inquiries for junior typists everv week, but was unable to supply them. CHINA FALLS INTO LINE The Chinese Nationalist Government has promulgated a Minimum Wage Act to cover all factory workers and home work carrier' out in industries in which wages are not regulated by collective or other agreements and in which remuneration is exceptionally low.

A mimimum wage committee of nine to 15 members will be set up in each district or municipality. Minimum wages in a given industry will be established on the basis of the living conditions of the local workers, sufficient to enable an adult worker to support himself and two dependent members of his family in decent circumstances. The wage paid tn a juvenile worker is not to be less than one-half of the minimum adult ware. Board and lodging provided by an employer may be included at their average value, but bonuses and over-

time pay must not be included in the calculation of the minimum wage. When workers are employed at home, the minimum wage rates must be displayed in a prominent place in the premises where work is distributed and returned after completion. The employer must also keep registers giving the names of home workers employed, the kind of work performed, the number of pieces completed, etc. Suitable penalties are fixed for cases where employers do not observe the provisions of the Act. BRITISH FACTORY ACT The new Factory Act affects half the wage-earning population of Britain, regulating the working life of some 7,000,000 adult and junior workers. It makes the country's 6000 textile factories, 160,000 other factories, and 75.000 workshops subject to the code which regulates the health, welfare, safety, and working renditions of factory and workshop employees. There is is bis; advance in the provisions with regard to cleanliness, temperature, drinking water, fire protection, underground rooms, dust, lighting, air space, weight lifting, dangerous machinery, and the protection of the young. A normal working week of 48 hours is prescribed for women and young persons, instead of the 55hour week in textile and the 60-hour week in the non-textile factories as hitherto. Overtime is limited to 100 hours a year, but they can be worked only in a prescribed number of weeks in the year, and not more than six hours in any one week. Previously, up to 624 hours overtime in a year could be worked. Work on Saturdays must cease at 1 p.m. Previously, work up till 4 p.m. on Saturdays was permitted. Notwithstanding the improvements in the new Act, union leaders protest that working hours exceed 40 per week. There is also strong opposition to allowing 100 hours of overtime in a year.

THE WORKING WEEK IN FRANCE

The French public is adapting itself surprisingly rapidly to the closing of shops on Mondays as well as Sundays under the 40-hour week introduced by M. Blum's Government. Shoppers are growing accustomed to the new state of affairs. There are, however, some who resent the change. Their attitude is aptly summed up by a housewife who, having been compelled to take in two days' supply of perishable foods owing to the Sunday and Monday closing, remarked: "This is all very well, this 40-hour week, but is M. Blum going to supply us with free electric refrigerators? " The greatest difficulties in changing over to the 40-hour week have been encountered in the foodstuffs industry. Butchers, who, with few exceptions, possess refrigerating plant, have accepted the situation with pleasure. One of the results of the two days week-end holiday already noticeable is in the trade it has given to the roadside inn, which is beginning to enjoy some of its old-time prosperity. At Strasbourg the Monday rest was enforced in most of the big shops for the first time, but numerous small shops remained open. Employees of the big shops marched through the streets attempting to force the small shopkeepers io close.

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS The Committee of Experts on the Application of International Labour Conventions met last month and spent a week examining the 577 annual reports submitted by States on the measures they have taken to apply the provisions of the conventions which they have ratified. The committee's remarks have been summed up in a report which will be submitted to the governing body of the International Labour Office.

In their report the experts record their satisfaction at noting that, on the whole, States having ratified international Labour conventions are carrying on the work of ensuring a proper application, after having, when necessary, adjusted their national legislation so as to be in harmony with the texts of these conventions. The committee note, however, that in several cases this harmony has not been achieved, and recall that international Labour conventions should be regarded by States as imposing definite obligations, and not merely simple programmes of future reforms. With regard to the application of conventions to colonies, protectorates, and mandated territories, the committee draws attention to the fact that, this year, the French Government instructed a high official of the Ministry of Colonies to supply the committee with certain additional information. The information thus supplied shows that the French Government Js making a serious effort to secure the wider application of conventions which it has ratified to its colonies. In its report the committee expresses its gratification at the opportunity thus given it of establishing personal contact with a representative of one of the States members of the organisation, and the belief that an extension of this practice would -be productive of valuable results.

In another part of its report the committee draws the attention of the governing body of the International Labour Office to the fact that it might be desirable that the international Labour organisation should have the possibility of submitting information to national tribunals in cases involving its constitution or conventions adopted. The committee points out in this connection the interesting analogy of the status accorded to the International Labour Office by the rules of the Permanent Court of International Justice.