MAY REACT ON WORKERS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19364, 30 June 1937, Page 14

MAY REACT ON WORKERS

HIGHER WAGES DEMAND SHORTENING' OF STAFFS (Per Pvess Association.) HASTINGS, last night. A statement that retailers cf the Dominion, in addition to a vary heavy increase in wages last year, were now faced with demands which, if granted, would hurt the employees, by pressure on the employers to reduce their employment of labour to a minimum, was made by the chairman. Mr. C. Griffiths, at a meeting of the Hastings Retailers’ Association, which was held to consider the demand for the shop assistants’ award. , At present, he said, traders carried a staff sufficient to deal with the customers at a few rush hours. In the aggregate, a large number of shop assistants had to be found work to fill in time during periods when customers were few and far between. To meet the rapidly rising costs and to be able to continue giving service without ruin, there were only two waws open. First, to give service with ‘.he least amount of labour possible, and secondly, to pass the cost era to the customer. In many instances, Mr. Oriffiuis added, the latter way of es: ipt .vr.s nevitable. In some instances, competition on a lower cost basis prevented such a natural sequence. “I 'hink it is necessary, therefore, to place the facts before the public, for hey would have to bear the heavy and of the burden.”