Wages and Hours For Country Drivers

Chronicle (Levin), 26 March 1949, Page 6

Wages and Hours For Country Drivers

WELLINGTON, March 25. j .The chief issu'6 in the New .Zealand ^ g6neral. drivers',dispute which involved stopwork meetings ih most centres during JanuUry w'as settled. in the Oon- ( ciliation Council today. The secretary of the Drivers'' Federation (Mr. A. 0. ■ Melville) said that &t"the resun^ed sit- 1 tings of the Coupch t^e workers'- repre- ; sentativesV.ace'epted' the ' amended. pro- •' posal ' ofEered -by J the . employers for country driVers over whose vconditions the chief diffexence* had arisen during the, earlier hegotiations. *' Mr. Melville se,id that the aettlement was for a'40-hour five-day week for country drivers from' Monday to Friday, the ;daily- hours not to exceed nine in a span of 12' hours. Saturday work will Ibe 'paid. for at tiine and a half up to eight hours, where ^hifts are broken an allowance of 2s 6d will be paid for the timo stood off. . In lieu of special dirt money payments at penal rates and for work done outside clock hours a special payment of 10s a week in addition to the weekiy wages was offered by the employers and accepted. A special clause provided for any driver working principally on milk and cream transport to work for nine months of the yea'r live of the seven days with a total of 40 hours a week with daily hours not exceeding 94 in a; span of 14 with -2s 6d a day for standoff time in lien of dirt money and penal rates, and for working outside clock hours, tan, additional- 5s a - week- will be paid« . For the> remaining " thre.e mon,ths; ,of the year, May, June.and July, a 40hour; six-day week will apply .for these driver^ 'the daily hours not to exceed -sey.en hours to be continuous andi'an additional special payment of 5s weekiy to apply. . ... • . The Conncil adjourned to consider other matters, on Monday.