MANURE WORKERS' AWARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23637, 22 October 1938, Page 7

MANURE WORKERS' AWARD

PRONOUNCEMENT BY COURT WAGES AND HOLIDAY CLAUSES The Court of Arbitration has Issued the Otago and Southland chemical manure and acid workers’ award, the term of which is two years from Monday next. The clauses referred to the court for settlement were those relating to wages and holidays. A memorandum attached to the award states:— “An annual holiday on pay has oeen ordained for continuous shift workers who, though on hourly rates of wages, are employed regularly, as it is the court’s practice to prescribe paid holidays for workers employed regularly on continuous shifts. Regarding wages, the court has followed the classification of the expired northern award. By the award made in 1925 the workers employed in this industry were granted an increase at a halfpenny per hour to the standard rate then obtaining for unskilled workers, making the rate Is IOJd, and that continued to be the rate until i 931 The court has now increased that rate by 6d per hour, pursuant U Its pronouncement of last year, making the minimum 2s 4jd per hour In addition. a number of special payment have been added to the wages clause for work which it seems proper should carry some extra remuneration.”

Mr A. L. -Monteith <employees; representative). in a dissenting opinion states:—“The workers secured a minimum wage of 2s 3d per hour, while

the court was giving only the 1931 rates (in this case Is 10id, plus the adjustment for the 40-hour week) The work has to be performed by the majority of the workers in lime, super, and slag dust, and I dissent because the wage rates do not take into consideration the above-men-tioned difference secured by agreement with the employers. To give only a halfpenny over the minimum standard rate is. In my opinion, quite inadequate for this work.” Day Workers The following provisions relate to holidays for day workers:— The provisions of the Factories Act, 1921-22, and its amendments, relating to holidays, statutory half-holidays, and Sundays, and to payment for work done on such days, shall apply January 2, Easter Saturday, and Anniversary Day, or any day observed in lieu thereof, shall be observed as holidays, but a worker shall not be entitled to any payment in respect of such days unless he works, in whicn case he shall be paid for the time worked at the rate of time and a-half. Shift Workers The following clauses deal with holidays for shift workers:—Subject to the provisions of the Factories Act, 1921-22, and its amendments, the following provisions shall apply:—Time worked on Saturday after 12 noon, or on Sunday, or Christmas Day Boxing Day, New Year’s Day. January 2, Anniversary Day, Good Friday Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day. Labour Day, or the Birthday of the reigning Sovereign shall not be reckoned as ordinary time or as overtime, but shall be paid for at the following special rates: On Sundays, double time; on any of the holidays mentioned, treble time; on Saturdays after 12 noon, time and a-half If a shift worker in the rock-grind-ing or super-mixing departments has

worked five eight-hour shifts on the five days of the week —Monday to Friday, both days Inclusive —and is required to work a sixth shift on Saturday, such sixth shift shall be paid for at the rate of time and a-half for the first four hours and double time thereafter. If any award holiday falls on any day from Monday to Friday, inclusive, then for the purposes of this proviso such day shall count as a shift worked. Scale of Wages The minimum rates of wages shall be as follows:—Day workers. 2s 4Jd per hour; chambermen, 2s 6Jd: shift workers, 2s sid; men discharging shipments of phosphate rock. 2s 6d; men discharging shipments of sulphur or guano, 2s 7jd; men working on super bank, 2s 7Jd; men making and handling super-slag or basic slag mixture, either loose or in bags, 2s 6d. Men required to enter sulphur burners to clean same shall be paid time and a-half rates while so employed, the minimum payment to be for two hours. Men cleaning out acid chambers or employed in repairing or demolishing acid chambers, towers or combustion chambers where it becomes necessary to handle material saturated with acid shall be paid 3d per hour extra while so employed. Men placed in charge of five or more other men shall be paid IJd per hour extra while so employed. Men in charge of mill department or in charge of manufacturing department shall be paid 2d ner hour extra.