MINIMUM WAGES INCREASED

Southland Times, Issue 23380, 11 December 1937, Page 8

MINIMUM WAGES INCREASED

WAIHI AND THAMES GOLD MINERS

NO MORE SATURDAY WORK (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, December 10. Awards were delivered by the Arbitration Court today in four separate disputes affecting the gold-mining industry in the Waihi and Thames districts. The workers covered by new awards are the Thames gold miners, the Ohinemuri and Waihi gold miners, engineers, engine drivers, winders, motormen and firemen. The principal changes made in the awards are the elimination of Saturday work in the mines, a provision that work in batteries shall cease at 8 a.m. on Saturdays and a general increase in the minimum rates of pay. It is provided generally that a 40hour week in eight-hour shifts shall be worked from Monday to Friday by all men engaged underground and by certain classes of surface labourers. The minimum daily rates of pay for ordinary miners in the new scale are from 19/3 to 19/9, compared with 16/114 in the old award. Details of the wages for a shift of eight hours in the award relating to the Martha and Golden Dawn mines, which apply with only slight variations in the other mines, are:—Miners working in drives or stopes, 19/3; miners working in drives or stopes with machines, 19/9; miners working in rises or winzes, 19/9; miners working in rises or winzes with machines, £1 C/3; shaftsmen with machine or hand steel, £1 1/-; chambermen (with 8d a shift for oilskin money in wet shafts), 19/3; bracemen, 19/-; mulockers and truckers, underground 19/3, on surface, 18/8; timbermen, surface or underground, 19/9; stamper hands, 19/2; stamper hands’ assistants, 18/11; amalgamators, 19/5: stone breaker, man feeding crusher, 19/2; stone breaker, labourers, 18/8; truckers in batteries, 18/8; battery repairers, 18/11; battery repairers’ assistants, 18/11; cyanide men working in wet batteries, 18/11; pressmen or pressmen working cranes, 18/11; pressmen’s labourers, 18/8; men attending sands or settlers, 18/11; concentrates treatment plant (man in charge), 19/11; concentrates treatment plant (assistant), 18/11; vannermen, 18/11; vannermen’s assistants, 18/8; tube mill, man in charge, 18/11; tube mill, assistants, 18/8; men slaking lime, 19/8; surface and general labourers, 18/8; greasers, 18/11; sluicers, 18/11; tar workers, men tarring tanks or any tarring job for the whole or greater part of day, 19/8 a shift of eight hours (this does not apply to casual work); battery hopper hands who begin work between midnight and 6 a.m., 19/10; storemen, £4 10/- a week. WORK ON HOLIDAYS Not less than 18/8 a day or a shift of eight hours is provided for any class of labour employed. This applies to adults only. Provision is made in the overtime clauses for payment at the rate of time and a-half for the first three hours and thereafter at double time. All work done on Sundays, New Year’s Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, the King’s Birthday, Labour Day and Christmas Day is to be paid for at the rate of double time.

Meal money is to be allowed at 1/9 a meal and 2/- extra is to be paid to men who, after having worked their ordinary day shift, are called out early on the next day to'go on shift, other than their normal shift. If a man is required to work more than one week’s night shift continuously he is to receive 2/- extra for each shift worked after the first week, but this does not apply to men who ask for continuous night shift work or to battery and hopper men.

For pieceworkers, provision is made for payment by the employers of a fortnightly advance of 16/— a shift on the number of shifts worked and in no case are the rates provided for competent pieceworkers engaged on mining underground to be lower than 19/3 a day. The award is for a term of one year to December 6, 1938. The rates of pay fixed in the award for the engineers employed by the Martha Company are at the rate of 2/9 an hour after five years’ apprenticeship for qualified tradesmen, 2/7£ for other tradesmen, including drill steel sharpeners and plate workers who do not qualify under the higher rate, and 18/8 for a day of eight hours for blacksmiths and strikers. The wages fixed in the award for engine drivers, winders, motormen and firemen employed by the Martha Company are:— For winders, £1 2/- for an eight-hour shift; winchmen, on surface 19/3, underground £1 0/3; stationary engine drivers, first class £1 0/3, second class 19/3; firemen, 18/-; leading firemen, 18/9; locomotive drivers, £1 1/3; locomotive firemen, 18/6; locomotive cleaner, 18/-; engine cleaners, 18/-; engine greasers, 18/-. SERIOUS VIEW TAKEN BY COMPANIES RESTRICTION OF FUTURE OPERATIONS PREDICTED (Special to The Times) AUCKLAND, December 10. With the companies already stated to be embarrassed by the gold export tax, the increases in wages made by the Arbitration Court in the gold miners’ award is viewed in a serious light in mining circles. The extent of future operations, particularly as they affect low grade ore, is expected to be restricted, and smaller companies which are working on little or no profit at the present time are considered likely to restrict their activities. to working

ore which is sure to be payable. It was said that the payment of the new wages, which were approximately 121 per cent, higher, in addition to the ■tax which had to be paid in the first instance to the Government, would probably mean the quashing of the normal enterprise which made for progress in gold mining. That, it was stated, was regrettable. It was obvious that the companies, particularly the bigger ones, would be prepared to mine only good ore in future and in an attempt to obtain economy further labour saving machinery might be introduced. Naturally the scope of mechanical aids in mining was limited, but they would undoubtedly be applied to replace human labour.

The opinion generally was expressed that the increasing operating costs caused by higher wages would be faced only by the assistance of the Government in abolishing the gold duty. Were this done the companies could no doubt face the future with some degree of confidence.

The general opinion in mining circles is that the Martha Company, which has been mixing its better and lower grade ores, is likely to change its policy to meet the new labour conditions. In future it may abandon low grade ores as unprofitable, with the result that the life of the mine will be reduced.

CARPENTERS AND JOINERS

40-HOUR, FIVE-DAY WEEK

(United Press Association)

AUCKLAND, December 10. A 40-hour five-day week, which was in accord with two of the claims of the union, has been granted by the Arbitration Court to the carpenters and joiners employed by the Martha Gold Mining Company (Waihi), Ltd., by an award which was pronounced tonight. The hours of work are to be between 7.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday and any work done before the usual starting time is to be paid for at the rate of 2/- extra, provided the employee worked only the usual number of shift hours.

In its claims the Auckland branch of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, which brought the application for the award, asked for increased wages on a weekly basis, but the following minimum rates on an hourly or daily basis have been granted by the Court: Journeymen carpenters and joiners, 2/9J an hour; youths in their first year, 5/- a day; second year, 6/6; third year, 8/6; fourth year, 9/9; fifth year, 11/-. The award states that overtime is to be paid for at the rate of time and a-half for the first three hours, with double time rates thereafter.