DAIRY FACTORIES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20504, 24 August 1936, Page 6

DAIRY FACTORIES

HOURS OF WORK OF EMPLOYEES JUDGMENT OF COURT By Telegraph Press association AUCKLAND, August 23. A schedule of weekly working hours varying from 38 to 52 in cheese factories and from 40 to 48 in butter factories has been fixed in a judgment issued by the Arbitration Court. “In our opinion,” states the Court “this industry which is a seasonal one cannot be carried on efficiently on a 40 hour week.” The three awards affected by the judgment are the Northern Industrial District (except Poverty Bay) creameries, cheese and butter factory employees award, the Canterbury butter factories employees award and the Otago and Southland cheese and butter factories employees award. The hours of work are fixed as follows: North Island Butter factories: For 7 months from August 15 to March 15, 48 hours a week; for 5 months from March 16 to August 14, 40 hours a week. Cheese factories: For 9 months from ■ August 14 to May 14, 52 hours a week; | for one month from May 15 to June 16, 44 hours a week, for two months from June 17 to August 13, 38 hours a week. South Island Butter fa-ctories: For seven months from September 15 to April 15, 48 hours a week; for five months from April 16 to September 14, 40 hours a week. Cheese factories: For nine months from September 14 to June 14, 52 hours a week; for one month from June 15 to July 16, 44 hours a week; for two months from July 17 to September 13, 38 hours a week. The rates of pay prevailing on September 1 are to be adjusted so that no worker is to Jose in wages on account of the reduction made in his working hours. The hours fixed are to be worked over any six days of the week. In respect of workers in factories in which not more than two workers are regularly employed, if they are called on to work on seven days of the week their weekly span of hours shall be those above set out increased by one-sixth. For such increase they will obtain the benefits set out in sub-sections three and four of section 4 of the Factories Amendment Act, 1936. These sections entitle such workers to a whole holiday for every additional day on which they have been employed beyond six or to ordinary rate of wages for such day.