DAIRY FACTORY WORKERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 25, 17 November 1944, Page 5

DAIRY FACTORY WORKERS

WORKING HOURS AND HOLIDAYS

MOVE FOR UNIFORMITY

A recent move by Dairy Factory workers throughout the Dominifon for the removal of the second schedule of the Factories Act which covers their award and segregates them as a class of workers from all others who are covered by the Act y sto that special terms are enforced, has been fully discussed by representatives in the local factories.

In order to give our readers a little more information on the point of what the 'second schedule' involves and why the workers are urging its removal we print the fol-

owing:—

The second schedule. Avas added to the Factories Act to exempt all dairy factory workers from that Act as the Avorking hours Avere different on the payment of Saturday afternoons, Sundays and statutory holidays. If factory Avorkers« (dairy) Avere unde.l the Factories Act they Avould receive double rates of pay for work-, ing on the days mentioned instead of just half-time above, their ordinary rates. Dairy factory Avorkers claim that they suffer again in that during Xmas and Ncav Year all factory workers under the Factories Aiot get a week to ten days off fjs. well as the lavo weeks annual holidays on full pay, while dairy" fac-

Tory Avorkers have their annual holidays during the most dismal part of the year (Avinter time). The award wage, is £4 16s- 6d per week 16s Id per day for a six-day week, being extended over the 12 months at the rate of 48 hours for 17 weeks,, 44 hours for 13 weeks and 40 hours for 22 Aveeks averaging out 43 3-5 hours a Avee'k over the 12 months at a rate of 2/(5 per hour which is considered a poor wage considering some of the jobs require skilled labour and cannot be done by anyone.