Shop Assistants' Wages.

Otaki Mail, 29 August 1930, Page 3

Shop Assistants' Wages.

44-HOUR WEEK AND NO LATE NIGHT WANTED. ARBITRATION COURT HEARS EVIDENCE. Wellington, Last Night. The Arbitration Court to-day heard an application by tho New Zealand Federated Shop Assistants' Association for a new award, including increases

in wages. Messrs A. W. Cooksley (Wellington), W. Batchelor (Dunediu) and P. Salmon (Wellington) appeared for employees and Mr. T. 0. Bishop for tho employers.

The union claimed inter alia that the minimum rate of wages payable to shop assistants shall be: Branch manager or manageress with no assistants under them, £7; in control of one assistant, £7 10s; with two assistants, £s; three assistants, £8 10s; departmental manager or manageress with no assistants, £() lUs; one assistant, £7; two assistants, £7 10s; three or more assistants £S; floor superintendent, £8 10s; window dresser, £6 10s; traveller, £6 10s; head storenian or packers or only storemen or packers, £6.

Mr. Cooksley said the parties at the Conciliation Council agreed to a numbed of clauses under the heading "classification of workers." The union had had innumerable requests from those holding positions that the Court should consider the fixing of a minimum wage for their employment. He outlined at length the claims of the union and quoted the higher wages paid in Australia. The union claimed a 44-hour week and asked the Court •to place these workers on the same footing with respect to hours as all other trades. A request was made for the abolition of the late night.

The evidence of several witnesses was taken in support of the claims of the union.

For the employers Mr. Bishop said thait while the union x n 'oposed substantial increases in wages all roundthe employers sought an alteration to the schedule which would mean increasing some rates while decreasing others. The most important thing the employers wanted was an alteration in the scale for employees entering the trade at IS years of age and over. The proposals they put forward had ,becn accepted by agreement and were embodied in the present awards for Canterbury and Hawke's Bay. The em-' ployers asked for these proposals in the present application because they desired to secure in the trade the services of assistants who had had a secondary school education. Boys and girls of 18. years and over could vnt secure einpJoyment under the present scale, neither could adults without previous experience. It was in the interests of employment in these days of unemployment to remove the disabilities. The proposal was to pay boys, of 18 years a starting wage of" 27s lid rising to S2s lid after four years; boys of lit, for the first year 35s rising to 82s fid after three years; boys of 20, for the first year" 42s fid rising to 70 after two years. .'.:■'•.-. .;■•"..

Surely this could not be held to be ,«unreasonable since the cmplovment in•volvcd the teaching of a trade. The effect in a very few years wpuid be seen in a more efficient class of sales assistant. When the award was made tho cost of living above July, 19-14, was 61 per cent and it was now 58 per cent so that the workers had benefited in real wages in proportion to that fall in prices. ! M*. claims of the union and called evidence in support.

The proceedings were adjourned until to-morrow morning.