CLOTHING TRADES

Southland Times, Issue 23538, 18 June 1938, Page 12

CLOTHING TRADES

NEW AWARD MADE BY COURT PRINCIPAL CLAUSES The terms of the Northern, Welling-' ton, Canterbury and Otago and Southland clothing trades employees’ award, which comes into force on Monday, have been announced by the Second Court of Arbitration., The Court was not unanimous in its findings and dissenting opinions were recorded by each of the assessors. The principal clauses are as follows: This award shall apply to all workers who are employed as journeywomen, journeymen, female apprentices, improvers, seam openers and underpressers and under-rate workers in the wholesale manufacture of men’s or women’s garments of tweed, worsted, woollen, serge, leather or other similar materials, including overcoats, suits, costumes, caps, blazers, monograms, uniforms and all waterproofed garments, and in dyeing and dry-cleaning establishments. HOURS OF WORK The hours of work shall be 40 a week, to be worked on five days of the week, Monday to Friday inclusive, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. For the purpose of calculating the hours of work, each of the holidays hereinafter mentioned shall be deemed to be a day worked for the number of hours usually worked on that day of the week, although no work shall have been actually done on such holiday. The hours of work shall be posted in each and every work room by the employer. The minimum wages for journeywomen shall be £2 10/- a week. Females employed sorting, ticketing, boxing and distributing work shall be paid not less than the basic wage for week:—For the first six months, 17/-; for the second six months, £1 1/—; for the third six months, £1 5/-; for the fourth six months, £1 9/-; for the fifth six months, £1 13A; for the sixth six months, £1 17/-; for the fourth year, £2 3/-; thereafter £2 10/-. It is provided that a worker of the age of 21 years or upwards shall be paid not less than the basic wage for the time being prevailing. The minimum wage for a secondclass chart cutter shall be £4 17/6 a week; for a stock-cutter and trimmer, £4 12/6 a week; for examiner in charge of finishing-room, £4 12/6 a week. The minimum rate for tailors employed at sewing or supervising shall be such rate as is prescribed by the tailors’ .award, current for the time being in the district DEFINITIONS A “second-class, chart cutter” is one who cuts to measure from block patterns supplied by the employer. A “stock-cutter” is one who understands the laying-up, chalking-in, and cutting by shears, knife or machine of all classes of clothing, and is engaged thereon. When a stock-cutter is called upon to add to or deduct from his pattern he shall be classed as a secondclass chart cutter. An “examiner” is one who is responsible in the finishing-room for the folding and sending out of all classes of clothing. Pressers shall be paid a minimum wage of £4 12/6 a week, clothing oilers shall be paid the minimum time wage prescribed for pressers. Youths other than apprentices may be employed at seam-opening and at under-pressing at the following rates of pay a week:—For the first six months, .£1 2/6; for the second six months, £1 12/6; for the third six months, £2 2/6; for the fourth six months, £2 12/6; for the fifth six months, £3 2/6; for the sixth six months, £3 IS/-; thereafter at £4 5/a week.

It is provided that a worker of the age of 21 years or upwards shall be paid not less than the basic wage for the time being prevailing. The proportion of youths to adults on such work shall be one youth to each two or fraction of two adults. Male casual workers shall be paid at the rate of not less than 2/10 an hour. A “casual worker” is one who is employed for less than three days continuously. The minimum wage for male machinists employed in any department of the clothing trade covered by this award shall be £4 12/6 a week. OVERTIME All time worked before the ordinary time for starting or after the ordinary time for ceasing work on any day shall be deemed to be overtime, and shall be paid for at the rate of time and a-half, with a minimum of 1/6 an hour. Twenty-four hours’ notice shall be given by the employer to any worker called upon to work overtime after the ordinary time for ceasing work. When less than twenty-four hours’ notice has been given 1/6 shall be paid for tea money. The following shall be observed as holidays, and shall be paid for at the same rate as ordinary working days:— Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Labour Day, Sovereign’s Birthday. Should any of the holidays fall on a Sunday, then for the purpose of this award such holidays shall be observed on the following Monday. Double rates shall be paid for any work’done on Saturday afternoon, Sunday, or any of the abovementioned holidays. An annual holiday of one week on full pay shall be allowed to all workers on completion’ of each year of service, such holiday to be given at a time suitable to the employer, but to begin not later than one month from such completion except when otherwise arranged with, the union. Such holiday shall be in addition to the holidays specified in subclause (a) of this clause. In computing the yearly period broken time shall be counted as time worked.

In all cases where a bonus is paid the basis on which the bonus is calculated shall be negotiated between representatives of the workers concerned in the factory and the employer. Infactories where a bonus system is in operation no deduction shall be made from the bonus in respect to any holidays prescribed by this award or by the Factories Act. Three days’ notice of the termination of the employment of any worker shall be given by either party.

STRONG CRITICISM OF AWARD “ASTOUNDING, ILLOGICAL DOCUMENT” (United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, June 17. “One of the most astounding and illogical documents which so far has come from either of our present Arbitration Courts” is the description applied by the secretary of the Canterbury Employers’ Association (Mr D. I. Macdonald) to the Dominion Clothing Trades Award recently issued by the Second Court of Arbitration, of which his Honour Mr Justice Hunter is president.

Mr Macdonald said the first Court had endeavoured to establish a wage basis and was also reimposing existing conditions in relation to other matters, unless very strong evidence was brought by either party in support of

a change. The advent of the Second Court had largely nullified this effort and because of the lack of ■ uniform policy an almost chaotic condition existed.

“Today parties in the Conciliation Council have no clear understanding of the policy of the Courts on many important issues,” he said, “and so it cannot be wondered that union advocates prefer to gamble on the inconsistency of at least one of the Courts rather than make agreements in the Conciliation Council.” CLAUSES ALTERED Dealing with the new Clothing Trades Award Mr Macdonald said there were 25 clauses. Of these 31 were either of purely a machinery nature or were settled in the Conciliation Council. Of the other 12 clauses the Court had altered 10 materially in favour of the union and left two as they were set out in the old award. In the new award, clauses which had been agreed upon by the parties for more than 20 years and which were included in the 1937 award by Mr Justice Page had been altered to the disadvantage of the employer without one shred of evidence being produced by the advocate for the workers’ union. “While in accordance with the only policy which the Second Court seems to have-r-to increase wages and further restrict industry—some increase in wages was to be expected,” Mr Macdonald continued. “The substantial increase granted to women will be calamitous for the industry and possibly for the workers who depend on it for their livelihood.” . He added: “There is much more in the award to leave emplyers both dissatisfied and perturbed. Take for example the astounding implication in one paragraph of the memorandum that the Court cannot be concerned with the ability of the industry to pay. This will come as a rude shock to many New Zealand manufacturers who are struggling to maintain and build up productive industries in face of strong overseas competition. They know now where they stand at least in so far as the Second Court of Arbitration is concerned. The pronouncements of the Court have always given some recognition to the condition of an industry.”

CONCERN SHOWN BY MANUFACTURERS EFFECT OF COST INCREASES ON INDUSTRY (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 17. “The New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation is profoundly disturbed by the effect of cost increases on the industry,” said the secretary, Mr R. O’Shea, in commenting on the Dominion Clothing Trades Award. “Moreover, it is concerned also about the possible public reaction to the ever-increasing costs and the possibility of increasing unemployment through this cause.”