SLAUGHTERMAN’S WAGES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 843, 11 December 1929, Page 10

SLAUGHTERMAN’S WAGES

FREEZING WORKERS’ AWARD INTERPRETATION SOUGHT Tho freezing workers’ award came before the Arbitration Court yesterday for interpretation of a clause governing the wages of an assistant slau ght er man. The action was originally brought in the Magistrate's Court, in the form of a claim by the Auckland Abbatoir Assistants and Freezing Works Employees’ Union. against W. and K. Fletcher (N.Z.), Ltd. A penalty of £2O was claimed for an alleged breach of the award by defendant’s failure to pay a slaughterman’s assistant, Alfred Hill, the minimum wage of 8s a day between April 4 and April 24. Tho award rate was paid to Hill between April 4 and April 17. A contractor then engaged Hill as a slaughterhouse assistant, and paid him the award rate for the balance of the period in dispute. During this time, however. Hill also worked four and ahalf hours for the defendant company, and for this he was paid at the heuriv rate of 11s* 6d for “railing out” bee'.

The question before the court was whether Hill’s “railing out” work came under the clause requiring minimum rate of Ss a day for the week, which plaintiff had received in any case from the contractor, who was his principal employer during the period. Mr. Tuck represented the union and Mr. Ziman the defendant company. After hearing argument the court reserved its decision.