RATES OF PAY

Evening Star, Issue 23681, 14 September 1940, Page 18

RATES OF PAY

MANAGERS OF BUTTER FACTORIES The Court of Arbitration, which has just issued the Otago and Southland factory managers’ award, fixes the minimum yearly rates of wages as follows : Under 100 tons, £275 per annum; 100 to 600 tons, 6s for every additional ton'; 601 to 1,000 tons, 4s; 1,001 to 2,000 tons; 2s; 2,001 to 3,000 tons, 6d; and thereafter by mutual arrangements. All rates of remuneration, including time and piece wages and overtime and other special payments, shall be subject to the provisions of the general order granting a 5 ,per cent, increase. The only question left for the court to decide was that of wages. The other clauses in the award were settled in Conciliation Council or agreed to at the court hearing. Disagreement with the decision of the majority of the court in regard to the scale of wages is expressed by Mr A. L. Monteith, employees’ representative, as follows:—“ These wages are less than in Westland, Nelson, and Marlborough, and here cover only eight factories. In Otago, Southland, and Canterbury these factories, with one exception, have to rework and pat butter purchased outside the factory, and to pay on a scale of output where such work is not taken into consideration is to grade a man, for the purposes of payment, below what the increased work merits.”