PAY BUT NO WORK

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1074, 11 September 1930, Page 16

PAY BUT NO WORK

UNWRITTEN P.W.D. LAW IN WELLINGTON MINISTER’S EXPLANATION Press Association PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Wed. In reply to a question asked in the House today by Mr. R. McKeen (Labour —Wellington South), whether the Acting-Prime Minister had had his attention drawn to a statement in a Wellington newspaper to the effect that a circular had been issued from the head office of the Public Works Department to its employees, advising them of a reduction in their wages, and whether, in view of the assurance given by him that no instructions had been given to reduce wages, he would immediately cancel the action of the head of the department, the Hon. E. A. Ransom stated that for many years it hud been the practice in the Wellington Public Works workshops and bulk store to pay 45 hours’ wages for 44 hours’ work a week. The origin of this procedure was somewhat obscure, but as far as could bo ascertained, the concession had been in operation for from 15 to 20 years. It seemed that the employees of the workshops* had desired Saturday afternoons off. and had offered to work extra time between Monday and Friday, by reducing their lunchtime. However, they had subsequently found that the period for lunch was too short, and renewed representations had resulted in an arrangement whereby, if the men worked 40 hours and on Saturdays, they would be booked and paid for 45 hours a week, five hours being booked on Saturdays, although they worked only four hours that day. This arrangement had been operated under unwritten instructions, and it was estimated that on a conservative basis this concession was costing the department in the vicinity of £450 per annum on the present wages bill, and represented an unproductive overhead expense which contributed substantially toward the recurring deficit in the workshops account.

The department observed Arbitration Court awards in the matter of rates of pay in the works-hops, and as the employees received quite liberal concessions in the way of annual leave and payment for statutory holidays not accorded outside the department, the position was reviewed by the Minister of Public Works. Moreover, such an arrangement was not fair to men in similar employment in other districts, and complaints had been received. It had therefore been decided to remove til is source of irritation, and to pay the men only for the time they worked. The principle of paying men one hour a week for nothing could not be upheld.