Five-day Week Granted To Bakers

Chronicle (Levin), 13 September 1948, Page 5

Five-day Week Granted To Bakers

WELLINGTON, Sept. 12. ' - A five-day Monday to Friday week has been granted by the Court of Arbitration to workers employed under the Xew Zealand Bakers5 and Pastryeooks5 and their Labourers' Award. The President of the- Court, Air. Jusliee Tyndall, in a meniorandum to the new award issued at the weekend, coutaiuing this provision, said that regard had been taken of the hours of work in other essential industries and the faet that the five-day week had been operating in the baking industry for the last 21 years in most. parts of the Dominion. Furtherinore, the c.ompelling nature of the 1936 amendinent to the Imlusfcrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act as it affeeted hours of work had been taken into aceount. The Court had also eonsidered the -f'act that nowadays few retail sliops were open 011 Saturdays and opjiortunities for tlie sale of bread 011 that day were restricted. The Court was satisfied that reasonably fresli bread could be manufaetured by a reversiou to 72 per cent. extractiou flour and made available to Ihe public over seven days of the week within the limits of the five-day AI011tlay to Friday working week, provided certain overseas metho'ils of wrapping and storage were empifiyed. Wage rat.es under the award remain unchanged except for increases ranging from ls to 4s 6d a week for unskilled female workers and 7d to 9d a day for jobbers by the day and Id an hour for jobbers by the hour. , All holidays f'alling 011 Saturdays or . Sundavs are to be observed 011 the , following Alouday. The award will operate for oue year ■ and six months from September 20, 1948, to Alarch 20, 1950. The employers' representative on the Court, Air. W. Ce't'il Prime, in a disseuting opinion, said he regarded the ■ majority decision of the Court on the 1 hours of work, as a eapitulatiou to and J coudonation of an illegal action on the 1 part of the workers' union in instrue- ! tion its members to refuse to work on Saturdays. The result of tlie union 's ] defiance of the law had been stale £ bxe.ad for the public.