SHORTER HOURS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27213, 17 October 1949, Page 7

SHORTER HOURS

TOWN AND COUNTRY DRIVERS NEW AWARD ISSUED PA WELLINGTON, Oct. 14. A substantial improvement in the conditions of work for both town and country drivers throughout the Dominion is contained in the New Zealand Motor and Horse Drivers’ award issued by the Court of Arbitration. The award gives town drivers an eight-hour day instead of eight and a-half hours, as previously. Country drivers’ daily hours, which previously could be ten in a span of 14, must now not be more than nine in a span of 12 at ordinary rates. Country drivers will also have a 40-hour week, Monday to Friday, where previously they had an 80-hour fortnight with work on six days of the week. Overtime has been fixed at the rate of time and a-half for the first, three hours and double time thereafter, A worker required to collect cash during his employment is to be paid arv allowance- of 2s weekly if the amount is £lO a week or less and 4s weekly if it is over £lO.

Country workers .will receive increases of 5s weekly in pay and town workers an increase of 7d. Double time rates are to be paid for work on public holidays. „ „ , . An objection by the New Zealand Dairy Factories’ Employees’ Union to the inclusion of dairy factory drivers was rejected by the court, which states in a memorandum that there is no sound reason at present for disturbing the status quo. The award will remain in force until April 13, 1951. In a dissenting opinion Mr W. Cecil Prime, the employers’ representative, states that no evidence was submitted to show that there have been changes in the industry which now warrant shortening the daily hours and increasing the overtime rates. He cannot agree that such a decision is justified.