No Overtime For Saturday Shop Work

Chronicle (Levin), 15 September 1948, Page 6

No Overtime For Saturday Shop Work

WELLINGTON, Sept. 14. A decision of importauce to shoxi -etqiers who have been granted exemp ion from closing their saops on Satur iays lias been aunounced by the Court Arbitration. The Court has dismissed an appeal rom a judgment given in the Magts.late's Court at Otaki by Mr. A. Ai. iouldiiig, S.AL, to the efl'ect that overiiiic is not pavablo to sliop assistauta rrho work on Saturdays as part of their irdinary 4U-hour vveek. Occupiers of shops who wish to reiiain ojien on Saturdays must normally ibtaiu exemption from the prescribed liours by making application to a Magistrate under sectiou 19 of the • iTiops and 'Oliices Aiuendment Act. In the proceedings at Otaki the in qieCtor of Awarqs at Palmerston North „Russel J'olin Vvr eir) sought pena'lties for avvard breaches (employing workers oa hiturday and failing to pay overtime ates) against the Paraparaumu Cuoperative Dairy Company, Limited, and Maurice-Beckett, Limited. jff'guelF'iHaV-'m granted the defendants under the 'Shops and Offices. Amendment Act did not entitle tliem to commit breaches ot the awards governing • the industry. Clause 2 of the Grocers ' Avvard, it vvas claiined, sjieciflcally stated, "No work :shall be: perf ormed on Saturday." "One of the objects of the Sliops and Ofh'ces Act is to secure fair coiripetition between the sliops owned by persons who actuallv emplov worlcei's and those owned by persons who do not emplov any, but who are deemed to be employers," said Mr. Justiee Tyudall, dismissing the appeal. "If the a'ppellant's contentions are upheld, this object* would b.e to soiue extent frustrated in that exemption granted by Magistrates under the Shops and Offices Amendment Act are requirotl to observe onerous provisious associated with their employers in fact. The proprietors of shops who do employ workers and are required to observe onerous provisions associated with their • efuploynient would be subjected to uufair. fradiiig coiripetition under the provisions of the very legislation that vvas designed for their protection. "