QUESTION OF HOURS

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1523, 20 August 1912, Page 8

QUESTION OF HOURS

GRIEVANCE OF DRIVERS. DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. The grievances of drivers associated with tho shop trades were laid before tho Minister for Labour (tho Hon. W. F. Massey) by a deputation yesterday morning. Mr. M. J.' Reunion said that tho deputation aiked for nn amendment o£ tho Shops mid Offices Act. it would bo found by j-eferonco to Section 50 of tho Shops arid Offices Act that drivers could bo employed for an unlimited time at stable work over and above tho 52 hours per week prescribed for shop and offico employees. In 1910 an amendment was brought down limiting stablo work to ono hour per day. This gave employers tho right to work their drivers 59 hours per week. The unions interested had endeavoured through tho Arbitration Court to have tho hours -reduced to something like those worked in other trades, but the Court had laid it down that in future awards the Court would not consider the question of hours in trades for which, they had already been fixed by statute. The men affected-who were drivers for grocers, bakers, butchers, and retail coal dealers—had, therefore, to apply to Parliament for relief. It was surely unreasonable to expect men to work 59 hours a week for wages which averaged about JB2 Bs. to £2 10s. per week. The deputation asked that the clause relating to stable work bo repealed, and that payment should Iμ given for all work in excess of 52 hours per week. They were not oven asking for a forty-eight hours week. It was urged also that drivers associated with shops worked 52 hours as against 171 hours worked by other drivers —exclusive in each case of stable work. Mr. E. J. Carey supported what the previous sneaker-had said. He also asked that union secretaries should have tho right to lay an information for breach of tho Shops and Offices Act, as thev had under the Arbitration Act to "lay an information for breach of award. lie urged that provisions which formerly wero governed by Court awards wero now governed by statute. He also urged that tho Government should make the Saturday half-holiday compulsory in the four centres. Mr. Massey. "That's a pretty big thing." Replying generally, Mr. Massey said that tho Government contemplated introducing nn amendment to the Shon.a and Offices Act this session. This Bill would, of course, go before the Labour Bills Committee, and facilities would bo offered for union representatives to give evidence. When he had that evidence before him ho would be able to give his opinion, but ho would not care to do that without hearing tho case for both sides. Ho admitted that he was scarcely an authority on all labour.questions, for' little things cropped up sometimes which'he'did'not quite understand! He assured the deputation, however, that the case wpuld'have his fullest consideration. .';'