AWARD STANDARDS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 64, Issue 4534, 9 February 1942, Page 4

AWARD STANDARDS

PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND THE STATE WOMEN’S WORK IN WAR-TIME Two communications came into the “ Courier ” office last Friday, and they serve to indicate the Government's attitude to the awards and the general standard of remuneration in relation to the workers’ living Stan dards. Both have a bearing on the withdrawal of men from the normal channels x>f employment and the utilisation of woman labour during the period of emergency. The first letter came from the District Inspector of Factories, who asked for an assurance that “ female workers will not be employed except on the terms and conditions prescribed by the Appropriate Award.” This assurance was asked from a private firm which had had an application before the appropriate Union for several months for skilled tradesmen. A month ago, in desperation, the employment of women had been contemplated, but the lowest probationer rate of pay for woman workers, even though inexperienced and in an occupation which normally requires a six years apprenticeship, is stipulated in the award to be £4 10s a week, plus five per cent—approximately £240 per annum. In the face of this we frequently have appeals from the Government for women to come forward so as to relieve men for service in the Armed Forces. The other letter came in the form of a request for publicity by the Women’s War Service Auxiliary for women to enrol for service in a Government trading concern which, amongst other duties, required women as van drivers in a metropolitan centre. It was stated that the minimum wage is £BO per annum, and the maximum £165 per annum (about 30s and £3 per week respectively). It is added that a boarding allowance would be paid to women who were required to live away from home, “ but only to a point where the salary plus boarding allowance does not exceed £ll5 per annum ” (about £2 5s per week). It would be interesting to learn how the Drivers’ Union regards this flagrant setting aside of the Drivers' Award.

Clearly there is a need to maintain the country’s civil services, and in the absence of so many men workers it is necessary that women should be appealed to in a time of emergency. But whether private enterprise should remain harnessed to the strict terms of a peace-time code as has been written into the industrial awards is open to question. But very certainly there can be no virtue in the Government’s profession of its desire to uphold the.living standards of the workers when, in its own trading departments, it sets at variance the award stipulations as it does in this appeal made under guise of war-time emergency through the good offices of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary.