WAGES OF JUNIORS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 25, 24 October 1942, Page 10

WAGES OF JUNIORS

Effect Of General Order A question arising from the'general order of the Court of Arbitration directing an increase in award wages, made on March 31, was put before the Court this week for elucidation. The Court's order for a 5 per cent, increase does not apply in full to “juniors,” which the order defined as workers under 21. The amount of their wages above £l/10/-' a week was exempted from the order. The Freezing Workers’ award specifies, that you! hs over I'J shall be paid as adults, and the New Zealand Freezing Works and Related Trudes Industrial Association of Workers has applied to the Court'for provision to be made for workers under that award who are between -the ages of I'J and 2.1 lo receive the full increase. There are other awards in which the definition of a junior is different, from that in the Court’s general order. On behalf of the workers, Mr. W. E. Sill said the effect of the Court's order was to increase the wages of freezing workers between 19 and 21 by- 1/G, whereas their fellow workers, in the same category received an increase of 5/-. He submitted that as those workers were regarded as adult workers for the purpose of the award they should also be regarded as adult workers for the purpose of the Court’s general order. : For nearly 25 years the parties 'to the award had regarded them as entitled to adult wages and the Court had ratified, that provision. During the last freezing workers of that-age had received the cost of living bonuses. For the employers, who claimed tbit the Court had no jurisdiction to make the provision asked for. Mr. J. R. Hanlon submitted that the regulations under which the general order, was made permitted only a general order to be made and not one affecting a particular award. Further, there was 110 reason to suppose that the cost of. living of freezing workers between 19 and 21 had increased more than the cost of living of other workers, and the primary purpose of the order being to meet the cost of living, the order must fail. Decision was reserved.