CARPENTERS AND JOINERS

Southland Times, Issue 23840, 10 June 1939, Page 11

CARPENTERS AND JOINERS

DOMINION AWARD ANNOUNCED HOURS OF WORK, WAGES AND CONDITIONS An eight-hour day, to be worked between the hours of 7.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on five days of the week, is provided for in the New Zealand Carpenters’ and Joiners’ Dominion Award which has been announced by the Arbitration Court. The award provides that one hour shall be allowed for lunch each day, but an employer may agree with his workers to allow not less than half an hour for lunch.

The minimum wage for carpenters and joiners and joiners’ machinists is to be 2/9J an hour. , The worker responsible for carrying out the work and who gives instructions to the other workers is to be paid 1/6 a day in addition to the above-men-tioned rate.

Except on country work, all wages are to be paid weekly not later than Thursday, within 15 minutes after the termination of the working hours, either on the works or at the employer’s workshop. On all work coming within the scope of the country work clause of the award, the wages are to be paid at intervals not later than fortnightly as agreed upon between the employer and the worker concerned. When a worker is discharged, he must be paid within 15 minutes, and when a worker leaves a job he must, on application, be paid within 24 hours of leaving. All waiting time beyond the prescribed time is to be paid for at ordinary rates. OVERTIME AND HOLIDAYS All work done in excess of the daily hours fixed are to count as overtime and to be paid for at the rate of time and a-half for the first four hours and double time thereafter. For work done on Sundays, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day and Labour Day double rates are to be paid. Any time worked in excess of five hours without an interval of half an hour for a meal is to be paid for at overtime rates. The employers must endeavour to restrict overtime work if there are any members of the union out of work and available at the time, and the union must undertake, on request, to supply any labour that may be available. Any worker attending at the place of work and being stood down by reason of there being no work (other than because of weather conditions) must receive two hours’ pay at ordinary rates unless previously notified, that his services were not required for that day. In the case of work not proceeding at the beginning of the day because of bad weather conditions, workers so attending are to be paid for one hour. If men are required by the employer to stand by in wet weather, they are to be paid half ordinary rates for the first 30 minutes, and ordinary. time thereafter, until definitely stopped, with a maximum payment of one hour a day. SUBURBAN WORK Suburban work means work (other than country work) performed elsewhere than at the shop of the employer, and irrespective of where the engagement takes place. Workers employed on suburban work distant more than one and a-half miles from specified central points must either proceed to and from such work or be conveyed to and from such work at the expense of the employer, as the employer shall determine. Time reasonably occupied by the workers in travelling, or time occupied in conveying the workers to and from such work beyond the one and a-half miles or beyond the worker’s home, whichever is the 1 less, shall be allowed and paid for by the employer. No worker residing less than one and a-half miles from the place where the work is to be performed will be entitled to the allowance mentioned in this clause. COUNTRY WORK , Country work means work done by a worker in such a locality as to necessitate his sleeping elsewhere than at his genuine place of residence in New Zealand. The provisions relative to country work will apply whether or not the worker, before his accepting such country work, is already in the. service of the employer, and whether the worker is engaged at the place where the work is to be done or elsewhere, and irrespective of the situation of the employer’s usual place of business. The employer must convey the worker free of charge, or pay his fare, to and from country work, but once only during the continuance of the work. If, however, the worker is withdrawn! from such work by the employer, or if he returns therefrom requiring medical attention in consequence of accident or sickness arising out of and in the course of the employment, and is, in either case, again required on the work, the employer must again convey him or pay his fare to and from such work. Time occupied in travelling during the ordinary working hours, once each way, is to be paid for at ordinary rates. The employer must either provide the worker while on country work with suitable board and lodging, or, in lieu thereof, pay him for each working day the sum of 5/-: Provided that, where through circumstances within the control of the employer a worker is employed upon country work for less than six consecutive days, the employer must provide such board and lodging and may not elect to make such payment in lieu thereof. When the work is situated less than 50 miles from the employer’s place of business, the worker must be refunded his return railway fare to and from the place of engagement once every four weeks during the continuance of the work.

When the work is situated more than 50 miles from the employer’s place of business the refund must be made once in each three months. When a worker has been regularly employed for two weeks or more, he will, on being discharged, be entitled to be given two hours’ notice, during which time he may put his tools in order, or he must receive two hours’ extra payment in lieu of notice. When a worker leaves for any reason other than illness, he must give his employer or the foreman in charge of the work two hours’ notice of his intention to leave. Piece work is prohibited and no work is to be sub-let.

The award does not apply to county councils or coal mines. The award will come into force on June 12, 1939, and continue in force till December 12, 1940.