HOTEL WORKERS' AWARD

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 75, 22 December 1920, Page 8

HOTEL WORKERS' AWARD

48-HOUR WEEK GRANTED

HOLIDAYS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES

Tho Arbitration Court has made an award in tho case of tho Wellington (twenty-five miles radius) licensed hotel employees, in ■ which some interesting clauses are contained. ,The dispute came beforo the Court on December 0 Ja6t. The award states that the weok's work shall be 48 hours and not more than ten hours a day shall bo worked without payment of overtime. Excopt in special circumstances, workers shnll .not bo brought back to work after thoir day's work is finished until after an interval of at least ten hours, and shall bo paid at the rate of timo and a half for the time by which 6uch interval is curtailed. The clause will not apply to bar assistants who have been off duty during the day for any continuous period of not lws than four hours. Ono full day's holiday is to be allowed to every worker, and if possible, on' the 6amo dav in "ach week. Workers who are employed iij hotel bars, and who received their holiday on a Sunday, shall also receivo a liali'-lioliday from 1 p in. on a working day. All employees shall be allowed one week's holiday on full pay each year after the completion or one year's service, and in the case ci a worker who is employed for six months and less than 12 months, he or she shall receive a proportionate holiday. Full pay meana wages, plus allowance for board and lodging.

Weekly rates of pay for kitchen wort: are fixed as follow:—Where five.or more hands are employed: Chof, .£5 a wceki second, -C 3 10s.: third. £2 7s. 6d.; all others, £2. Four hands:'' Chof, M 10s week; second, JC'3; third, £2 55,; all others, £1. Three hands: Chef, £3 1/e Gd.; second, .42 10s.; all others £2. Two hands: Chef, .£3: second, £2 29. Gd. One hand: v£2 7s. 6d. Kitchen hand attending to boiler, ss. a week extra. These rntos will bo increased bv a bonus of 10a. a week in the case of male workers, and of ss. for female workers. The award lays it down that in computing the number of hands, if the employer"works in the kitchen lio or sho shall be counted as a kitchnn worker and the- rating wit)' regard to . tho payment of the employees will bo determined accoruine to the work done by such employer.

Dining-room Staff. A special rate is made for dining-room employees. Head waiters are to recelvu '£S a week, if two or more waiters aro employed; head waitresses (if three or more are employed), J-l 155.; other waiters, £2 155.; other waitresses J!1 Ills. l housemaid-waitress, ill 10s.; pantrymen, ,£2; pantrymaids. J!1 10ts.; barmen, .iJ'i, barmaids, J!3; cellarmen and bottle stnro hands, .£3; portors (night), .£2 55., (day) Ji2 25.; general hands, ,C 2 25.; laundresses, .£1 125,. 6d.; linen maids, XI 12s. (id. Male workers will receive. (Pbonus of 10s. a week, and females, will rcceivft ss. a week.

Casual workers will bo .paid as follows:—Chef, ill ss. per day for tho lirst three days, thereafter ordinary wages. Similar conditions will apply -to other workers who will be paid as follow:— Second cooks, 176. Gd. a day: other workers, 12s. Cd. a day; waiter, 15s. a day; waitresses, 12s. Gd. a day (when employed for a single meal, Vs. Cd.); pantryinon, 12s. Gd. a day; pantrymaids, 10s. a day; portors, 12s. Gd. a day; laundresses,'lfts. a day; barmen and barmaids, J!1 a dav. ilails aro to be provided in all ease#, and a day's casual labour is not .to exceed eight hours. Special rates' ar® fixed for work done at races, banquets, etc., away from t.ha employer's premises. Chefs will rncoive £1 7s. 6d. a day; second cooks, -El 2s. 6d.: other kitchen hands, 155.; waiters and pantry hands, 155.; barmen, J!l; waitresses, 12s. Gd. Waiters, waitresses and pantry hands who are simply employed at tho function are to bo paid 7s. Gd. if for 3 hours of less, and 2s.' Gd. an hour for every additional hour worked. Fares and meals aro to be provided by the employer. Termination of Engagement.

Wages aro to bo paid weekly, and 48 hours' notice of termination of service 16 to bo given by either party, but this does not affect the employer's right to dismiss an employee for misconduct or any good cause. If there is no good cause of dismissal, the employee' is to receive two days' full pay. If a worker leaves • without notice or good cause he or she must forfeit two days' pay. Overtime is to be paid at the rate of time and half for tlio first three hours, and thereafter double pay. Whore board ia not provided for any worker covored by the award, M a week in additiou to the wages is to be paid. If meals are not provided <m the "day off" an extra 3s. a day is to bo paid. Where lodging is not provided a vorker is to bo paid 10s. a. week in addition to the wages prescribed. Employees who are married, and elect to lodge off the employer's premises, will be paid 10s. a week extra. No employer is to require more than two workers to sleep in one room, except in special cases, and where only one night porter is employed, ho Trill be entitled to n room to himself. Such rooms must be properly ventilated and lighted, and contain not less than 480 cubic feet of air space. Whoro an employer does the work of anv worker she or lie shall be counted as (in employee. The rates of wages rcceivod at present notwithstanding the wages laid down in the nward arc. in no caso to be reduced. Where special uniforms are required other than the ordinary dressea, aprons and facings usually worn by female servants, the same shall be supplied and laundered at the expense of the employer; otherwise, if no accommodation is provided for such laundry work, 3s, a week extra i 6 to be paid to the workers affected.

The usual preference clauses are included, with the addition that the local secretary or organising secretary of the union shall be permitted to interview employees one day a week at their place of employment, and employers, if asked, shall supply the secretary with a list of names of members of the stuff. As far as wages .and bonuses nre concerned the award will come into force as from January 3, 1921, and the other provisions from January 31, 1921, and will continue in force until January 3, 1923.

The 48-Hour Weok. In a memorandum, His Honour Mr. Justice Stringer, said: "We liave fixod forty-eight hours as the ordinary week's work. This reduction of hours was strongly opposed by tho employers, but in view of the fact that the 48-hour weekis now practically universal throughout Australia o.s the result of industrial awards, and in some cases of agreements, we see r.o good reason why it should not be equally practicable for employers ill New Zealand to grant the workers employed by them the. sanio reduction of hours. . . . Having regard to the substantial reduction of hours, the Courthas not been able to grant any material increase in wages which, however, have been readjusted by increasing the basic wages'and reducing the amount of the bonus."