DRIVERS’ AWARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23648, 4 November 1938, Page 7

DRIVERS’ AWARD

WAGES INCREASED BY 5/-FORTY-HOUR WEEK REFUSED POSITION IN INDUSTRY THE ! - REASON . (Pct United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 3. A general increase in wages of 5s a week, with smaller increases to juniors, is provided by tbe New Zealand motor and horse drivers’* award, which has been issued by the Second Court of Arbitration. . The increase was granted by a majority decision of the court, which decided unanimously 1o fix the hours as in the expired award. Regarding wages, Mr Justic e Hunter said that the parties had the pronouncement of the court in the sugar workers’ dispute to guide them—namely, the court in that case had made a general increase of 5s per week in line with the increase the court proposed generally to award to adult weekly workers. ■■■ •. s • “ The court has been unable to see its Way tp, agree to a 40-hour week for all drivers,” stated his Honor, because this is an industry subsidiary to a large number of industries in some of which a longer week .than hours is worked, and the services of drivers must be available during the whole of such longer week. The hours clause follows the principle of following the house,’ and those drivers who at present work a lesser number of hours Sian 44 per week will continue to do *°* Dissenting Opinion The employees’ representative, Mr A.-W. Croskery, dissented from tne majority decision of the court in restricting the increase in wages to ss, the increase for weekly workers as set out in the memorandum to the sugar workers’ award. He stated'that a general 5s increase to weekly workers without giving any consideration to hours of work completely denied the workers the right to maintain the re- • lative position which they had been working under in other awards. Mr Croskery said that if drivers wages had been all assessed on the same relative consideration as was adopted by Mr Justice Frazer in 1924 and 1925, the lowest paid driver to-day should receive a weekly wage of is 2s 8d for his 44-hour week m order to maintain his relative position with the labourer. New Rates of Wages The minimum wages fixed in Part I of the award, applying to workers other than those engaged in goods transport services operating under the Transport Licensing Act, are as follows:— Driving and attending one horse, £4 13s; two orses, £4 16s; more than two, 6d a -.y, or 2s 6d a week for each additol horse. ; ;, ; . „ driving any motor vehicle up to two ■ ns with load (including motor cycles .and tricars), £4 16s; two tons To four tons. £4 18s 6d; four to five £5 Is; five and a-half to 3.0, £5 ss, over 10, £5 Bs. . , . Tractors not otherwise specified, and used with trailers, £5. . . Small motor rollers, £4 las. Motor-driven implements used on construction, maintenance, or forma-, tion work, 2s 6id an hour. , Wages for youths driving a horse range from £2 7s 6d from 18 to 19 years, to £3 4s 6d from .20 to 21. On motor vehicles they range frpm £2 12s 6d to £3 9s 6d. For goods service drivers the minimum weekly rates and overtime rates, according to weight of vehicle, are as follows: —Up to one ton, £4 18s (3s JvertTme); one to two £5 Is (3s); two to four and a-half, £5 3s f|d (3sld), four and a-half to six and a-half, £5 7s (3s 2d); over six and a-half, - £,5 10s the weekly rate ranges; from i£2 45s ,to £3 14a, Bd, and overtime 1 front ls -8d to 2s 3d. Tito award will . operate trom October 31 last to October 31, 1939. “ VERY DISAPPOINTING ” . COMMENT ON NEW AWARIf SOME OBVIOUS DEFECTS COURT’S ATTITUDE CRITICISED (Pxb United Press Association)

WELLINGTON. Nov. 3, “The award issued by the court is very , disappointing,” said Mr F. u Allerby. secretary of the N<ew Zealand Drivers’ Federation, commenting on the New Zealand motor and horse drivers’ award. '“ By the award the driver has lost his position in respect to wages relative to the wages other workers have enjoyed for many years. I fail to understand why -the court could not grant a 40-hour week for drivers. One-third of those engaged in the transport industry to-day are working a- 40-hour weok. .[f uig court found it was impracticable to grant a 40-hour week to all drivers it should have increased their wages according to' the hours worked. This the court has done in other awards. Take as an illustration a one-horse driver in comparison with a labourer, A labourer works a 40-hour week at a wage for a full week’s work of £4 13s 4d. A one-horse driver receives for a week’s work of 40 hours under this award £4 13s. which is 4d below the wage of a labourer. If he works 44 hours he receives the same wage, with no extra payment for the extra hours worked. The previous award expired on October 31. 1937,. The Court of Arbitration made its pronouncement increasing the wages (rf weekly workers by 5s a week last February, and by the delay in getting this award and the court’s not making-it retrospective. the drivers have lost what benefits of 5s a week increase there might be uo to to-day. The award makes no increase in holidays, and by the more exacting nature of driv- * ing to-day compared with driving when the last award was made in December. 1936. drivers should have received at least an annual holiday of two weeks in the case of town drivers and three weeks for long-distance drivers who are called out at any hour of the day or night. The court granted three weeks in the passenger transport drivers’ award issued last June. No consideration has been given to the driver who handles ami is responsible for large amounts of cash made up of many individual small payments, such as the, drivers of bakers’ carts. Thd drivers cannot be blamed if they seek avenues other than the Court of Arbitration, to rectify the obvious defects in the award.” '

AUCKLAND DRIVERS’ ATTITUDE SPECIAL MEETING TO BE HELD CLAIMS FOR FORTY-HOUR WEEK (Per United Press Association) ;• ! • AUCKLAND, Nov. 3./ It is proposed by the Auckland Drivers’ Union to hold a special meeting of members on Sunday to discuss the new award. Special meetings are, also being arranged in other centres for the same purpose. The views expressed at the Auckland meeting are to be communicated to Wellington. The provisions in the new award for hours and' wages do not fulfil the desires expressed at a meeting of about 800 members of the Auckland Union, held last week. Then the members expressed the opinion that the union should be awarded a 40-hour week for all drivers, and an increase in wages of 10s a week. The new award adheres to' the former 44-hour week, with the exception of those men who

have been working a smaller number, and grants a wages increase of 5s a week. , , Another question discussed at that meeting was the annual holidays, members expressing the opinion that these should be of two weeks. The secretary of the union (Mr L. G. Matthews) said he did not yet know what holiday provisions had been made in the new award. He would discuss the matter at Wellington before Sunday’s meeting was held. t. HOURS AND WAGES DUNEDIN MEN DISSATISFIED EMPHATIC DISAPPROVAL General dissatisfaction is being expressed by members of the Otago Drivers’ Union with respect to the wages and hours prescribed in the neiv motor and horse drivers’ award, promulgated by the Second Court of Arbitration yesterday, and the following resolution was carried unanimously by a special meeting of the executive of the union:— “That a deputation from the New Zealand Federated Drivers’ Association. in conjunction with the New Zealand Federation of Labour, meet the Government with a view to expressing emphatic disapproval of the inadequate provisions made in the new motor and horse drivers’ award promulgated by the Second Court of Arbitration: and. further, that the Government be urged to affirm in principle and precept It advocacy of the 40-hour week.”