MINING WAGES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 June 1942, Page 4

MINING WAGES

NATIONAL INCREASES IN BRITAIN UNDER REPORT OF GREENE COMMITTEE. INSTITUTION OF SLIDING SCALE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, Noon.) RUGBY, June 19. All workers in. the coal-mining industry over the age of 21 years and all underground workers between the ages of 18 and 21 will receive an unconditional flat rate addition of 2s 6d per shift from June 1, 1942. Additions of from 9d to 2s 3d a shift are to be paid in the case of furnace workers under 22. There will be a national minimum wage for all workers over 21 at the rate of £4 3s a week for underground workers and £3 18s for surface workers. These are unanimous recommendations of the Board of Investigation set up under the chairmanship of Lord Lxreene and the Government is prepared to accept them. The estimated cost will be about £20,500,000 annually. A further recommendation of the Greene Committee is that the wages of all workers may be further increased in accordance with a sliding scale for any increase in output beyond a certain standard. The principle of this proposal has been accepted by the Government.