FIVE-DAY WEEK

Evening Star, Issue 22464, 8 October 1936, Page 12

FIVE-DAY WEEK

SHOP BOYCOTT ON SATURDAY MOVE INCEPTION AT AUCKLAND NO LOCAL SUPPORT [Per United Press Association.] . AUCKLAND, October 7. ' In an effort to institute a universal five-day -week in New Zealand a reported proposal originating in Auckland and intended to spread throughout the Dominion has as its main object the refusal to patronise shops on Saturday mornings. Union secretaries in the city, it is stated, intend to prepare circulars for distribution among their members calling upon them to see that their household shopping is done on Fridays. There is said to have been a preliminary discussion already among union secretaries.

The suggestion is tliat the move is the outcome of recent complaints that in certain industries where the 40-hour week could properly be recognised men were obliged to work on Saturdays when there was no obvious necessity for it. It is suggested also that certain unions are aggrieved that they have not received the benefit of. an Arbitration Court award granting them the 40-hour week, and they see in the proposal to discipline shops an opportunity of levelling the differences between working conditions among unionists. The proposal, apparently, is to circularise every unionist in Auckland, and then to organise a mass meeting of workers to affirm the policy. Meanwhile the Trades and Labour Council and the Alliance of Labour are to be advised and their support solicited. Every union in the country is to be kept posted on the subject, and with the backing of the council and the alliance Auckland unionists are sanguine of carrying their purpose into effect. n AUTOMATICALLY RIGHT ITSELF" That the position relating to the fiveday week would automatically right itself was the general opinion expressed by Trades Hall officials this morning when asked by a reporter to comment on a message from Auckland stating that, in an effort to institute a universal five-day week, a proposal originating in Auckland, and intended to spread throughout the Dominion, had as its main object the refusal to patronise shops on Saturday mornings. Union secretaries who were interviewed expressed disapproval of any suggestion that shops should be boycotted. Mr W. W. Batchelor, secretary of the Shop Assistants’ Union, said that it was the intention of his union to seek a 40-hour week in the Dominion award, for which application would be made within a few months. “ We believe all the selling can be done in a five-day week,” said Mr Batchelor, “ but I would not suggest anything like boycotting for a moment. We believe in leaving it to the fairminded employers to do the right thing. Boycotting will never do any good.” Stating that he was hopeful of the prospects of a 40-hour week for shop employees, he said it was his experience that the shops found that, since the introduction of the 40-hour week to industrythey did the greater part of their selling on Fridays. If wages in all industries were paid earlier in the week the opportunity would be afforded people to do their shopping during the week.

Tho Secretary of the Otago General Labourers’ Union (Mr R. Harrison) pointed out that the Otago Harbour Board had already attempted to facilitate matters in regard to the five-day week by changing the day for the payment of wages. They were introducing weekly pay on Thursdays, so that working men’s wives would bo given tho opportunity of shopping on Fridays, thus relieving the pressure on Saturday morning fpr the business community.

“ Personally I am a great believer in Saturday being a holiday,” said..Mr Harrison, “ and I cannot see why, everyone should not co-operate to relieve those engaged on Saturdays, and enable them to enjoy the benefits intended by the introduction of the 40hour week.” He felt convinced that when the people of the Dominion became accustomed to having the Saturday and Sunday week-end free . they would never agree to regard Saturday as a working day again. “ Anyone working on a Saturday should receive extra remuneration for his services to the community,” said Mr Harrison. It would always be essential for someone to work on a Saturday, and he did not think they should be so stupid as to suggest that anyone who did not fall in with the proposals for a five-day week should be boycotted. It would only be a matter of time before everyone would appreciate the benefits of the 40-hour week. Nothing of the circular which it is proposed should be distributed in Auckland calling upon members of unions to db their shopping on Fridays has been heard by Mr R. Ross, secretary of the Carpenters’ Union, who said that he thought the whole matter would eventually solve itself. When everyone got the 40-hour week there would be no incentive for shops to open on Saturday mornings. He said that, so far as the building industry was concerned, he has not yet heard of any payment earlier in the week becoming general. He expressed the opinion that as the five-day week became more general people would leave town on Friday night to have the week-end at various country resorts. His union had already altered its meet, ing nights from Fridays to Mondays to suit the change in conditions.