ABOLITION OF TIPS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2504, 3 July 1915, Page 13

ABOLITION OF TIPS

j EXPERIMENTAL EFFORT ' BY THE ARBITRATION. COURT COOKS' AND STEWARDS' AWARD. Important rulings have been made by the Court of Arbitration ;in tho award filed yesterday in tho dispute between tho New Zealand Federated Cooks' and Stewards' Union and . tho TJnion Steamship Company. The award comes into force on August 2 next, and is to operate for a terrii of two years'. Substantial increases have been granted in tho rates of pay, an effort has beeii made by the Conrt to abolish "tips," and tho honrs of work have been .fixed. - Increase of Wages. Rates of wages 'range as follow: — Galley staff: Chief cook (intercolonial steamers), £15 per month; chief cook (otlier steamers), £14 ; second cook,'£B; third co.ok, £7: extra third cook, £6 10s. ;■ ship's cook, £8 10s.; assistant ship's cook, £6; sculleryman, £6 10s.; baker, £11; assistant • baker, '£6; butcher, £9; assistant butcher, £6; chief cook (cargo steamers), £11; assistant cook,. £5 10s. Stewards, passenger steamers:' Second steward, £9 10s. per month; first-class assistant stewards, £8; forecabin steward, £8 ; second-class assistant stewards, £6 10s. j cadets, £2 to £4; pantryman, £8; assistant steward (cargo steamer), '£6 10s.; nightwatchm'an, £7: to £8. . If female workers are employed, they are to bo paid three-fourths of tho above rates, but females employed as stewardesses, and rated as snoh on the ship's articles, are (as hitherto) exempt from the award. Tho hours of labour at sea are not to ( exceed, ten hours per day, -to.be 1 worked as required. ' Any time worked in exccss'of ten hours is to be paid for at tho rate of Is. per hour. : ' ■ ; The Court's Reasons; In a memorandum attached to the award, the: Court says, inter , alia: — "The principal questions submitted to the Court in this dispute were as to the classification of slups, tho minimum wages, for the galley staff and stewards, hours' of ivork, holidays, -and . preference. The Court- is '.unable t-o adopt tho classification as proposed the ■union, as it is of opinion it .has no jurisdiction to deal with tha Vancouver and' San Francisco- services. On this question the Court adopts- the opinion of Mr. Justice Chapman in the case . . .V ro the employment of seamen employed : beyond New Zealand by companies registered ■in New Zealand.. _ "Tlie Court has granted increases to workers on the galley staff. Tho wages' now fixed will approximate to the wages of .workers in similar positions in Aus.tialia, as: fixed by the Industrial agree" ment made between the Commonwealth Steamship Owners' Association and others and the Marine Cooks', Bakers', and Butchers' Association of Australasia, to which tho tjnioh Steamship Company of New Zealand was a party. ■"Tha present rate of wages for stewards is, for first-class'stewards £5 10s. per month, and for second-class stewards, £4 per month, board and lodgings provided. No one could doubt that these are considerably below' reasonable living wages according to the standard usually accepted, but it is urged that "tips" must be takon into' consideration, and that,. adding the average amount received by stewards in tho shape of "tips,"- the/ wages are brought up to'a. fair standard..: Freed From Degradation. . "Tho unio.n has made an earnest appeal to the Court, to disregard the question of "tips" in fixing tho minimum wages for stewards, and to award them such an'amount as will free them from the 'degradation of having to augmentthe. wages .provided by their envptoycrs by what practically amounts to . soliciting alms from tho ; passengers. The union also,-undertakes, if this is done, to use all the m'eans withiii its power to influence its , members Eo refuse_ to accept "tips." The Court sympathises with the aspirations 'of -the..union in this direction, and thinks it desirable to abolish the system of "tipping" as far as possible. There is no doubt that the average passenger finds'it'difficult to express his gratitude for attentions bestowed by the steward at sea, .except, in terms of money,- and the_ steward probably. finds it still more difficult, to appreciate such gratitude unless so expressed. ■ The system', however, is objectionable, and, moreover, operates unfairly. 1 ' , Escaping an Obligation. "On tho one hand, the company escapes the obligation of paying its -.employees fair and wages, while on the other, hand the company's shortcomings in this respect are made good by gratuities provided by a. comparative-' ly smdll proportion of the public.' If, as, may be the case, the extra, cost to tho company', involved in the .increases of wages granted by the Court, is collected from the travelling public in tlie • shape of .increased fares, this will at least have the merit' of making all passengers contribute equally to making up tlw wages, of the stewards to a reasonable standard, instead of, as now,' leaving it to those only, who aro disposed to be liberal. • The Union's Undertaking. "The Court,, however, in acceding .'to tho., request of the uftion, ; will 1 .expectit to carry, out the undertaking, already mentioned," and to assist it in this respect:,. . '. \ lias made it: a breach of the award, on the part of' a steward, to accept a, "tip" from any passengerIt will no doubt largely depend upon ti'io stewards themselves whether this, experimental effort tq abolish "tips" is successful. Passengers, with/or without knowledgo of this award, will probably coiitinuo to offer "tips," and it is ! only by the. stewards steadily refusing to accept them, and by showing that civility and attention are not dependent upon them, that tho system of "tipping" can be suppressed or minimised. If, notwithstanding tho award, it should bo found that tho stewards have not faithfully carried out tlie spirit of tlie award in this respect, and that the system of "tipping" still prevails, then in any further dispute which conies'before the Court this subject will bo open to reconsideration." .