NEW LEGISLATION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20511, 1 September 1936, Page 4

NEW LEGISLATION

INDUSTRIAL WORKERS EFFECTIVE TO-DAY To-day is an important date for employers and workers engaged in industry in New Zealand, for it is to-day that the legislative and other provisions for the introduction of the 40-hour working ' week comes into operation. A considerable amount of confusion appears to exist in the minds of both employers and workers regarding the effect of the changes that will be introduced. It is possible to state the position on very broad lines as follows:

Workers engaged in factories or establishments which operate on a wholesale basis will be required to work for 40 hours a week.

Workers engaged in shops, retail establishments, or workrooms connected with retail establishments will be required to work 44 hours a week. The question of Saturday work has not been decided by legislation, but depends entirely upon the decision of the Arbitration Court. Therefore Saturday work is permitted in all cases except those in Which the court has made a specific order eliminating Saturdays and restricting the 40 hours to five days a week. In industries in which neither the workers nor the employers have made any application to the Arbitration Court for extension or alteration of the hours, the above general principles will apply, as enunciated in the Factories Amendment Act and the Shops and Offices Amendment Act respectively. Attitude of the Court. When applications have been made, the majority of the court's decisions have been made public. In the case of any decisions given by the court, but not yet made public, it is understood that no action will be taken by the Labour Department for the enforcement of the provisions until the judgment has come to hand. It is provided in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act that any decision given by the court after to-day will not be operative till the date specified in the decision, such date to be not more than one month after the giving of the decision. As to Saturday work the decisions given by the court during the last two months will come into force to-day. In cases where no application has been made to the court for a five-day week, Saturday work may continue; but the Court has stated its attitude to the question of Saturday work as follows:—In factories and wholesale establishments which are not concerned with providing a direct service to the public, there is no objection, except for special circumstances which have to be clearly shown, against the elimination of Saturday work; in shops and workrooms or factories connected with retail establishments Saturday work must be permitted for the convenience of the general public.

Salaries of Workers.

It is provided by the legislation, and it is also expressly stated in all the decisions of die Arbitration Court relating to hours of work, that the salary paid to any worker must not be reduced by reason of any reduction in his working hours. The position of workers under awards, industrial agreements, or apprenticeship orders is specially covered in the Finance Act passed in July. The law provides that the award or schedule rates ruling on May 29, 1931, must be restored. It is not required that any Individual salaries paid at that date should be restored if they were in excess of award rates, but the effect of the legislation is to restore the minimum rates to t.he 1931 level. In any awards made since May 29, 1931, it is provided that the schedule of wages Included therein shall be altered to bring it in conformity with the 1931 scale. In no circumstances must existing rates of wages be reduced.