PAY FOR HOLIDAYS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19122, 17 September 1936, Page 15

PAY FOR HOLIDAYS

CASUAL WORKERS

COMMISSIONER’S OPINION (Per Press Association.) HASTINGS, this day. “Surely casual workers are not entitled to holidays on full pay?” asked Mr. C. 11. Slater when the question of holidays was under discussion at asitting of the Conciliation Council in Hastings concerning the fruit-packers’ industrial dispute. The commissioner, Mr. M. .T. Reardon: Yes, that is the law at the present time.

lie proceeded to read extracts from tho Factories Act which decreed that any person employed in a- factory within 14 days of the holiday period must bo paid for that holiday. “Do you mean to say that if I engage a man on a Monday and Thursday is a holiday, I must pay him for the Thursday?” asked Mr. Slater.

“Yes,” replied the commissioner. “That is the law as I understand it.” “But what if he works for someone else on the Tuesday and another man again on the Wednesday? He is only a casual employee, you know,” said Mr. Slater.

The commissioner said that tho payment would be proportioned among the three employers. Ho pointed out that there was little doubt that, when framing the legislation, there was in the minds of the legislators an attempt many years ago to defeat tho law, and so this would bo made practically impossible. It had been necessary to make the condition apply to an extreme case.