CITY COUNCIL LABOURERS

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24895, 7 June 1946, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL LABOURERS

PRESENT MINIMUM WAGE SCALE UNALTERED

Adult workers covered by the Christchurch City Council Labourers’ Award will continue to receive the ’present minimum scale of wages, by decision by the Court of Arbitration. Certain workers may be required to work on Saturday mornings provided that the rates of pay are time and a-half. Gangers in charge of work will be paid Is 6d a day extra, but if they are required to supervise the work of more than 10 workers they will be paid 2s a day extra.

Provision is made for a bicycle allowance of 2s 6d a week for workers who are required to use their bicycles for council worK and workers whose duties necessitate continuous wearing of gum-boots will receive 9d a day extra.

Notwithstanding the above provisions nine men are required to be available in the Works Department for cleaning: up, etc., on Saturday mornings anci during autumn this number may be increased to 15. Ten men in the Reserves Department shall be available on Saturdays for preparing sports grounds, for work in ‘Cemeteries, and general cleaning up, and in addition two extra men shall be available for plantations from October to May, both months inclusive. All men required to work for these two departments shall be selected in the separate departments in rotation.

The workers’ representative on the Court, Mr A. L. Monteith, recorded a dissenting opinion from the majority decision regarding the wages, saying that the workers did not receive the full 3Jd an hour granted to other workers.