ARBITRATION COURT

Otago Witness, Issue 3487, 11 January 1921, Page 7

ARBITRATION COURT

COOKS AND STEWARDS’ BONUS. WELLINGTON, December 28. The Arbitration Court has made its award in reference to tho application of the marine cooks and stewards for a bonus of £2 per month. The court has decided upon a bonus of 10s per month for all workers, other than cadets and assistants, who are to receive 3i fid per month. Orders nave been made accordingly amending the awaios uith the Union Steam Ship Company and the coastal shipping companies, and an industrial agreement covering the galley staffs. In a memorandum attached to the orders the court states that, considering the special character of the employment in which the workers covered by this award are engaged, and of the substantial increases in wages which have from time to time been granted, either by agreement of the parties or by the awards of the court, increases which have fully compensated the workers for the increased cost of living since the outbreak of the war, a majority of the court had considerable doubt as to whether they ought not to dismiss the present application. They have, however, decided to grant a bonus of 10s per month to workers other than cadets, to whom the sum of 3s 6d per month has been granted, and the above order has been made to amend the award accordingly. It is not quite equivalent to the recent bonuses of 3s per week granted to workers in industries properly so-called. The majority of the court are of opinion that inasmuch as the workers are supplied with food and accommodation by the employers, it is manifestly inequitable that the latter should be compelled to pay the full bonus representing the increased cost of living to workers, when part of that increase, by nature of the employment already falls on them. The court has not always recognised this principle in dealing with bonus applications, in cases where workers are supplied with board and Ipdging by their employers, as, for example, hotel workers, but the question is open for consideration in any future case. Mr J. A. MUullough, the workers’ representative on the court, dissented from this decision, in that he thinks that the full amount of the recent bonus should have been allowed. Last week the cooks and stewards were inclined to take drastic action to enforce the demand of £2 per month, but declared a truce until after the holidays. The seamen, who are also demanding a bonus of £2 per month,, will meet the employers in conference on January 11. TRAMWAY EMPLOYEES. WELLINGTON, December 28. The Arbitration Court has made an order amending the Wellington City Tramway employees agreement in the direction of the granting of a bonus of 3s. The union asked for a revision of the basic wages by increasing these by 7s per week. The court has added the following sub-clause to the existing wages clause: “The minimum rates of wages above prescribed shall be increased by a bonus of 3s per week, unless and until the court shall otherwise order, but such bonus shall be excluded from the computation of overtime, provided foi in a succeeding clause hereof.” The order is to operate from November 1. BONUS AMEN DM ENTS. W ELLINGTON, January 6. A number or Avon, a;.on Court amendments to industrial awards, comprising chiefly increased bonu-os affecting dominion awards, were tiled to-day. The male boot operatives’ dominion award was amended in tire wages clauses. The minimum rate of pay of all workers within tho scope of tlie award is to be not less than Is 6d per hour, wages hourly and the worker entitled to be paid only for time actually worked, the minimum rate to be increased by a bonus of Tjd per hour, the ordinary working week to consist of 45 hours, and any time worked beyond these hours to be paid for at the rate of time and a-half for tile first three hours and thereafter double time; the minimum rate for apprentices to bo increased by Is per week bonus. The female boot operatives’ award has been amended to provide a minimum wage for women having served five years and upwards of £2 per week, computed by tho hour, and for hot waxthread machinists £2 7s 6d per week, work not continuous to tie paid per hour at the same rate, the minimum wages to bo increased by a bonus of 4s 6d per week, and the hours of labour and overtime to bo the same as in tho men’s award. In addition to tho award rates of March, 1920, there is to be paid to the woollen mill employees throughout the dominion the fol-

| lowing bonuses: —Adult male workers, Jdper j hour; female adult workers, fd per hour; girls, boys, and youths, Is per week. In the case of shearers and shed hands the minimum rates prescribed in tho August, 1920, award have been increased by the following bonuses:—Adult workers on weekly wages. 13s per week, and hourly wages, 3ld per hour; youths, 6s per week, or IJd per hour. The order is to amend the Wellington, Northern Canterbury, Otago, Southland, and Marlborough industrial districts’ awards. All the awards operate from November 1 1920. In the case of printers’ machinists, lithographers, bookbinders, etc., the existing bonus of 11s per week is increased by 3s per week in the case of male workers; fn the case of female workers, the 3s per week bonus is increased to 4s 6d. Apprentices, night workers, and juniors are to be paid 6s per week (Is increase) in addition to the day basic wage. The minimum rates of pay for apprentices are to be increased by a bonus of ls per week. The order regarding the bonus is the same in the case of the typographers.