NEW TERMS FOR WATERSIDE WORKERS

Chronicle (Levin), 4 March 1947, Page 6

NEW TERMS FOR WATERSIDE WORKERS

-Press Association

ADMINISTRATION FUND LEVY ON EMPLOYERS

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON,. Mar. *'3. Orders concerning daily and weefcly' minimum i payments to watferside 'wprkers, the establishiuent of a National Admihistr'ation Fund by a levy on the employers, and the abolition of the ' Sa'turday engagement of labour have ; been issued by the Waterfront Industry ' Commissioner (Mr. A. E. .Bockett). j .Made under the Waterfront Industry Einergency Regulations, 1946, the orders; which are Nos. 11 and 12, follow the recent recommendations made by. the Minister of Labour (Mr. McLggan) setting out the terms pf settlernont of.'daims made by the New Zea? land W^terside Workers'- Union. ' . Many copies of the orders, which are dated February 28, are now being distributed. to the employers and the unions. Operative frdm March 10, cxcept in the cases of the ports of Gisborne and Oamaru, where the date of application has yet to be determined by the Waterfront Industry Commission, Order No. 11 states: — Guaranteed Daily and Weekly Minimum Payments. Unionists classifiqd A class, in accordance with conditions prescribed by the Commission, and registered under 'a bureau or other systepi, establislied or to be established, and who cornply with the bureau rules and conditions laid down by the Commission, shall at the ports of Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, Port Ckalmers, Gisborne, Napier, Onehunga, New Plymouth,' Wanganui, Nelson, Picton, Timaru, Oamaru, Bluff, Westport, and Greymouth, receive the following guaran teed minimum payments: — Unionists Shall be guaranteed work in each dayr Mondays to Fridays iiu clusive, except at the ports of Westport and Greymouth, wliich shall be Mondays to Saturdays inclusive, to the value of two. hours at the ordiliary time general cargo rate of pay, or failing provision of the work shall be paid. that eum. Unionists shall be guaranteed work in each week to the value of £5, or t'ailing provision of the work shall have wages made up to that sum. National Administration Fund. The owncrs, agents, or masters of sliips, and other employers of waterside labour, shall pay to the Commission a national levy at the rate of 8d an hour on total paid hours (union and nonunion, ordinary and overtime), for work performed at the ports specified, the levies to be applied to the establishiuent of a National Administration Fund for these purposes: — Providing and operating labour engagement bureaux and central pay oflices; providing for guaranteed minimum payments to waterside workers; providing for pay for statutory and annual holidays to waterside workers; providing and operating amenities • for waterside workers; and providing for the eost of carrying out other functions of the Commission. Where at any port the Commission provides only a portion of the serviees for which the National Administration Fund is established, it may from time 't$i'?HneI>/iAake a1' prOport'id'nate -ffeduction in the national levy to the-em-ployer providing the other serVice or serviees. The assets and liabilities, as at the date of the coming into force of the ()rder. of the national pay offiee fund, annual holidays act fund, and general j administration fund, shall be deemed to be part of the National Administration Fund and shall be used for the purposes described. Abolition of Saturday Engagements. Also operative tTorn next Monday is Order No. 12, which states that, des-

i pite the provisions ^ontained in the main order of the Commission, dated June 6, 1940, and re-enacted on April 2, 1942, there shall be no engagement of labour ->.on Saturdays at the ports of Auckland, Wellington,1- "Lyttelton, Dunedin, Port Chalmers, Gisborne, Napier, Onehunga, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Nelson, Picton, Timaru, Oamaru and Bluff. Labour required for vessels commencing work on Shturdays shall be engaged during the hours of engagement on the preceding Friday.