TEA-ROOMS AWARD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 251, 4 August 1937, Page 6

TEA-ROOMS AWARD.

INTERPRETATION QUESTIONED.

WORKERS AT RACECOURSE. (Per Press Association.) . ’ HAMILTON, August 3. An interpretation, of the New Zealand Tea Rooms and Restaurant Employees’ Award, 1936, was questioned in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, when the 'Labour Department claimed £lO nenalty against Adams and Sons, caterers, Auckland, for alleged breach of award in that the firm underpaid a casual pantrymaid at the Te Rapa race meeting on February 20. A further claim, for a penalty of £lO was brought on the grounds that the defendant failed to pay - travelling time to the pantrymaid. The defence submitted that the award was anomalous and desired an early clarification of the position. An alteration of the interpretation as at present understood by all caterers in New Zealand would mean that £IOOO would have to be paid in back wages and, further, until a definite ruling was obtained no company could tender for race meetings with any degree of safety for fear that a big loss . would be made after the Court’s decision. The dispute mainly concerned clauses 7 and 8 of the award, which detailed different rates of wages for casual employees engaged on the firm’s premises or away from them. The defendant submitted that as they had only a depot at Auckland where no cooking was done and plant was kept at each racecourse, the racecourse was the firm’s premises. The Labour Department did not agree with this, but admitted that the award was ambiguous. The Magistrate’s decision was reserved.