H—4s

During the war period there was at one stage a peak provision of an additional 72 overtime hours per week, making a total of 140 working-hours per week. This work was divided into two shifts—day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and night from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Both shifts were seven days a week, so that a worker could possibly be required to perform 84 hours per week on day shift or 56 hours per week on night shift as compared with the pre-war total of 68 hours. The post-war working-hours approved by the Commission are : Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon, or to 5 p.m. where a vessel can finish work at a port. This is a total of 59 hours (or 63 in case of vessel finishing), comprising 40 ordinary (Saturday morning paid for at time and one-half as from Ist August, 1946,, and thereafter treated as overtime) and 19 overtime hours, an over-all reduction of 9 working-hours as compared with the pre-war total. While the average weekly hours for all ports for the year ended 31st March, 1949, was 44f hours, men are required, particularly at main ports, to frequently work the full span of 59 hours per week. It is not possible for the shipping industry to function efficiently by restricting hours of work to a 40- or 44-hour week. The Commission is of the opinion that some form of shift system is necessary on the waterfront at the main ports. A conference of all interested, parties .was held during the year to discuss a shift system. It was found that there were a number of difficulties, particularly in regard to the servicing of ships by the Railways Department, which precluded the introduction of a shift system at that time. Shifts have been worked successfully for many years at the ports of Westport and Oreymouth. The Commission proposes to re-examine the question with a view to determining whether it is now possible to overcome the problems previosuly existing. (/) MULTIPLICITY OF MARKS The increase in the number of small packages and the multiplicity of marks of cargo discharged results in additional time in the sorting of cargo and tends to create congestion in wharf sheds. During the year meetings were held with represencatives of the New Zealand Grain, Seed, and Produce Merchants' Federation, and a system was introduced which resulted in a considerable reduction in the number of marks of potatoes and other produce. (g) SPELLING Although " spelling," or the taking of rest periods, has been in existence in the waterfront industry for many years, there has been an abuse of spelling during recent years, particularly at the Ports of Auckland, Wellington, and Lyttelton. This was brought about through the shortage of labour and consequent high average hours of work under the shift system which operated during the war years. While the Commission agrees that workers performing manual labour are entitled to reasonable rest periods, there is no justification for the continuation of any system whereby men work hour about. This practice, which has applied mainly in the loading of freezer cargoes, is a danger to the health of the worker. The Commission approves of the agreements reached by the Port Committees at Wellington and Lyttelton whereby waterside workers are allowed a " smoke-oh " break of approximately half an hour in each four-hour working-period, the workers relieving one another during the break. While there was a marked improvement at the time these agreements were made, the position later deteriorated. Shipping companies who are responsible for the supervision of waterside labour have recently taken steps to stop pay of men who are absent from the job without the permission of the foreman.

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