AWARD INTERPRETED

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 150, 21 March 1939, Page 11

AWARD INTERPRETED

Harbour Board Employee’s Wages

An application for interpretation of the New Zealand Harbour Board Employees’ Award was decided in favour of an employee by Mr. J. A. Gilmour, S.M., in a judgment given yesterday.

The union claimed that a? craneman-in-charge, AV. Imrie, who was on a 40hour week but subsequently placed on 44 hours, should be paid extra wages for Saturday morning work. The employers claimed that he was wrongly placed on a 40-hour week mid this was corrected. He was being paid as provided in the award, and no extra remuneration was claimable because of a genuine mistake in his favour.

In his judgment, the magistrate said that the employers admitted the worker was covered specifically in the award. His hours were therefore fixed by a clause which read: “The ordinary hours of work shall be 8 a.m. to noon and 1 pan. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday inclusive, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Provided, however, that an additional sum equal to one fortyfourth of the weekly wage shall be paid for Saturday morning work.” The proviso was not clearly worded, but he thought it meant that for each hour the man worked ou Saturday morning'lie was entitled to be paid in addition to his weekly wage a sum equal to one forty-fourth of such weekly wage.