44-HOUR WEEK

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20107, 29 November 1939, Page 10

44-HOUR WEEK

TIMEKEEPERS’ AWARD PRACTICE AT PORTS OVERTIME AND HOLIDAYS The new Auckland and Gisborne assistant stevedores, foremen and time-keepers’ award, which has beer, issued by the Arbitration Court, provides for a 44-hour week. The applicant union sougnt a working week of 40 hours.

Provision is made for the payment of overtime at the rate of 3s 9d an hour. After 12 months’ continuous service two weeks’ holiday on full pay is to be allowed to permanent employees. Minimum rates of wages, exclusive of overtime, are to be paid as follows: —Assistant stevedore, £7 5s a week; senior foreman, £0 17s (id; foreman, £6 10s; timekeeper (at the port of Auckland), £6 6s.

In a memorandum to the award Mr. Justice O'Regan states that the court was unable to concede a 40-hour week for the following reasons:—(l) For many years the working week has never been less than 44 hours; (2) in the ports of Otago and Southland, Lyttelton and Wellington the parties have entered recently into industrial agreements, of which a feature is the continuance of the 44-hour working week; (3)' even, with a working week of 44 hours, overtime is unavoidable, and hence a reduction of hours would mean compelling employers to pay more for overtime.

Mr. A. L. Monteith, in dissenting, States that all weekly and casual workers on the Auckland waterfront are paid overtime rates as follows: First four hours, time and a-half; thereafter, double time. He believes workers covered by the assistant stevedores, foremen and timekeepers’ award should receive the same conditions.