DO AWARDS APPLY?

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 11, 28 January 1937, Page 11

DO AWARDS APPLY?

; Position of Hospitals Doubt whether the Hawera Hospital Board's engine-room staff would come under the provisioris of the award being sought by the Wellington, Taranaki, Nelson and Marlborough. Fngine-drivera and Assistants* "Unioh led to a discussion on the position at a board meetings lt was stated that the Hawera employees concerned worked 56 hours a week. •When the citation was placed before the board the soci'etary, Mr C. Harrisoh, again read letters received earlier on the subject of awards and hospitals. The Hospital Boards' Association stated that in the past hospital boards had not" been bound by labour awards because they did not function for pecuniary gain. If hospital boards were cited as parties to any particular award they could apply for exemption. Even if hospital boards were made parties to anaward it would be reqsonable to expect that special conditions for hospitals would be included. A letter from the Hon. H. T. Armstrong on July 13 stated: "According to decisions of the Supreme Court hospital boards are not departments of the Crown and are not entitled to exemption nnder section 164 of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. Hospital employees, mgy, therefore, become members of unions, but as section 154 limits the application of awards and industrial agreements to workers employed for the direct or indirect peeuniary gain of the employer it is possible that hospital boards would not be regarded as being bound by such awards and agreements." The matter was referred after discussioh to the Health J)epartment.