A HOLIDAY ARGUMENT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 881, 6 December 1916, Page 10

A HOLIDAY ARGUMENT.

SHOP ASSISTANTS' HOURS. I A well-attended meeting of members of the Drapers' Assistants' Union, and the Grocers' Assistants' Union, and of assistants in other! trades in which there are no unions, was held in the Trades Hall last evening. Mr J. McComhs, M.P., presided. Mr R. D. Martin, secretary of the Drapers' Assistants' Union, explain-1 ; ed that the meeting was held to pro- j , test against the action of the em- j . plovers in talcing advantage of what! ' he termed a Haw in the Shops and j ' Offices Act by working the assistants' two late nights in succession at i Christmas time, and also to urge upon the Government the necessity j ; for repealing section 5 of the Shops | i and Offices Act. He had received j advice that the grocers and drapers i in Dunedin and Auckland were hav- j ' ing only one late night (Saturday), and he understood that the grocers j in Wellington intended to adopt the: same course. It was an injustice to; the assistants, especially the female | assistants, to expect them to work i, [ 10 hours on the Friday, and 12 hours on the Saturday. The grocers' assistants' aspect of j the matter was placed before the' meeting by representatives of that '■ union, who pointed out that the em- j plovers had not given any notice ; of the two late nights to the unions, '. concerned. The speakers also re- I ' ferred to excessive night time work, j stating that for two or three times a ! week in the fortnight before Christ- j , mas the grocers' assistants' were! j working behind closed doors. There j t was a probability of their having to ! work from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the ; Friday before Christmas and on Satj urday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Last year some grocers closed at 10.301 p.m., and there was also the fact that j ; some started work at 7 a.m. It was claimed that the business could be | [ easily done within the 13 hours of j ' Saturday instead of on the Friday as ', well. It was also urged that the ! holiday becomes simply a time of j recuperation from the overstrain of, ' Christmas week. The speakers fur-, thcr urged that the employers were keen to use every opportunity to , J gain profits, regardless of the effect j > on the workers. In future, the unions 5 must be strong enough to demand recognition in the fixing of times : at which the shops should remain ' open when any difficulty occurs. •' There should be conferences be- j | tween employers and employees 1 when any difficulty arose. > The meeting carried the following • resolutions:— J "That this meeting of shop assisj tants strongly protests against the 1 manner in which the employers seek j to interpret the Shops and Offices. 1 Act, so as to work employees two i late nights in one week, regardless of - the consequences to health, and calls 1 upon the Government to alter the 3 wording of the said Act in order to 5 avoid a recurrence of the position." t "That this combined meeting of 2 shop assistants respectfully urges e upon the Minister of Labour the urt gent necessity of repealing section 5 s of the Shops'and Offices Act, t908." t "That a deputation from this meet- - ing wait on the Trades and Labour f Council and draw their attention to i the fact that certain shopkeepers ing tend to take advantage of a flaw in the Shops and Offices Act, and work - their employees two nights in the week prior to Christmas, to the great hurt and detriment of employees it generally and youthful and female assistants in particular."

"That an endeavour be made to arrange with Mr Cooper, secretary of the Employers' Association, for an immediate conference with employers, so that an amicable arrangement can be arrived at. THE OFFENDING SECTION. Under existing legislation, the present position can arise only once in seven years, and the section of the Shops and OHices Act that permits it is the one that the Union's wish to see repealed. It runs as follows: "Nothing in this Act shall render it unlawful for the occupier of any shop to employ his assistants till 11 o'clock at night on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve; or when Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on Monday, then till 11 o'clock id night on the Saturday preceding those days." The latter half of that clause is the one that is causing the trouble. One school of argument contends that the clause was framed in that manner simply because shops arc not allowed to open on Sundays and so they could not open on the real Christmas Eve when Christmas falls on a Monday. It is urged that the Act contemplates only one late night in Christmas week. The other school of argument contends that the section is in- , tended to provide two late nights . when Christmas falls on a Monday, ■ to avoid undue interference with-the food supply when the Christmas holidays are extended by the addi--1 (ion of Sunday.