SHEARERS’ AWARD

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 285, 1 September 1942, Page 3

SHEARERS’ AWARD

Working Hours Raised During War

INCREASED WAGE RATES

A new shearers’ umi shed hands’ award, with effective application in the Northern Taranaki. Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland, Canterbury and Otago and Southland industrial districts, for a period of three years from July 31 last, has been made by the Court of Arbitration. The award, subject to a proviso noted below, limits the normal hours of shearing to 44 a week, all shearing to eease at noon on Saturday except . where 44 hours have not been worked in any one week, when shearing may extend to 4 p.m. Not more than nine hours may be worked on any one day, and tliey_ must, be worked between the hours of 5 u.iu. and 5 p.m., or 5.30 a.in. and 5.30 p.m. As a war measure, shearing chall stop at 4 p.m. on Saturdays, except when 48 hours and 20 minutes’ work shall have been done before noon, in which ease the work may be stopped then. When shearing wet ewes, the shed manager may alter the intervals for smoking and extend the hours to the extent ot. half an hour, in order to complete the cut-out.

The minimum wage rates lor the various classes of work are set out in the award as follows, the increases being shown in parentheses:— I Shearing by machine, £l/13/- per 100, with rations (2/- per 100) ; shearing lambs, £l/13/- per 100. with rations(2/per 100) / shearing by hand, £l/15/6 per 100, with rations (2/- per JOO) ; shearing stud sheep and hogget rams, rate and one-half, and for other rams, double the ordinary rate; shearing doublefleeced sheep, rate and one-half (this is a new provision). In eases where the shearers find themselves in rations an allowance of 5/- a day is to pe paid (1/increase). . A concession to the shortage of workers is made bv an alteration of the proportion of learners to shearers. The new proportion is one learner to four shearers, compared with the previous rate of one to five.

For shed hands the following rates will apply:—Pressers, £4/18/- a week, 2/8 an hour; all other shed hands, £4/8/a week, 2/6' an hour. (The increases in these two classes of workers are 6/a week, 2d. an hour.) Cooks: For 12 men and under, £5/8/- a week or £l/0/6 a day. Where more than 12 men are employed, the wages are to be increased by 2/6 a week for each additional man, and where the number exceeds 18, an assistant shall be employed. Where more than 28 men are employed, the rate is to be fixed by mutual agreement. (The cooks’ wage rate is increased by 6/- a week, or 1/- a day). Cooks’ assistants: £4/13/- a week or 17/- a day (increase 6/- a week or 8(1. a day). The same allowances if rations are found by the men is to be paid as to shearers. Crutching rates are raised by 1/6 per 100 to 8/- per 100 and found. A clause in the award covering wages for the 1943-44 and 1944-45 seasons, prescribes the adjustments to be made in accordance with the movement of wool prices as determined by the Government Statistician’s index' numbers.

NEW AWARD FOR MUSTERERS

Musterers packers and drovers in the Northern, Taranaki, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland, Canterbury and Otago and Southland industrial districts are granted rises in wage rates by an award issued by' the Court of Arbitration with force as from July 31, 1942, for one year. Musterers arc to receive an increase ot 8/- a week, bringing their weekly wage to £5/8/- if employed by the week, with a minimum of £l/3/6 a day if engaged by the day. An additional ■ £l/3/6 a day is provided lor work on Sunday, or on Christmas Day, Anzac Day, or Good Friday. The daily rate is an increase of 2/6 on the previous rate. Packers employed in connexion with mustering. will receive not less than £4 10/- a week, an increase of 6/-, and not less than £l/0/6 a day if engaged by the day. The latter is an increase of 1/6 a day. Packers engaged on snow-raking will be paid £l/12/- a day while so engaged, a rise o£ 2/-. Youths employed to learn mustering will be paid at the rate of 12/$/- a week in the first year, and £3/5/- in the second year, in addition to their board and lodging, increases of 10/- and 17/6 a week respectively. _ . . . A new clause, requires the provision or tea biUies for each mustering gang, and a small first-aid outfit is to be provided for each gang, to be in the charge of the packman. Drovers’ wages are raised by 3/- a day to £l/13/- a day, not found. Where engaged on short drives, they are to be paid 6/6 for the first hour and 4/6 an hour for each additional hour up to five hours. The short drive rates are 6d. more for the first hour and 3d. more for subsequent hours than the previous rates. Drovers in the North Island, when engaged on a casual daily basis to muster stock) will be paid the drovers’ daily rate for the first 14 days of engagement. If the period worked is more than 14 days, the wage shall be in accordance with musterers’ wages.for the full period of the engagement; Where rations and accommodation are provided by the employer, the daily rate up to 14 days will be reduced by 3/- per day. The new wage rates in both shearers’ and musterers’ awards are not subject to the Arbitration Court’s two cost-of-living bonuses.