ORCHARD WORKERS' WAGES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 29, 18 February 1937, Page 4

ORCHARD WORKERS' WAGES

-Presa Association.)

Minister Negotiates New Agreement growers' guarantee

(BV Tetesraph-

WELLINGTON, Last night. _ A new scale of wages for workers i® the fruit industry has been agrbed upon after a series of conferences Be-* tween the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, representatives of the fruit-growers, and. representativea of the New Zealand Workers' Union. liates have been advaneed, adults "to receive not less than £3 16/- without board, and the Government has promised to help the growers if the prices for their product full below a level which will give them a, reasbnable return. The Minister announced that the export guarantee, which is eohtihgeht oh thle prices realised ovenseas, would be cohtinued, and a subsidy would be p'aid. ou locally-consumed friut in the ev&nt of the pi-ice falling bblow ah bconomie level. An amo'unt oi £40,000 had .be'eH set aside to meet possible contingencieii on internal prices. ■ "I waht to make it. clear/' said Mr Armstrohg; i'that this is hot a etraighi* out subridy. a the growers rbpei^e.h good price they will not be h'elped. Wb are simply ensuring that they are reasonably . remunerated fbr their efforts. We believe that everyonb whq giv«as service is entitled to a fair return. The agreement is not everything the New Zealand Workers' Union. detejres, but it will put the workers of the industry in *a better position than they have been in before. The .agreemeht is to opSrate only until September 30, and it «nn then be revised." Under the new agreem'ent adult mai* workers will be paid hbt less than £3 16/- a week, and orchard man'agers will feeeive £4 a week as ihe minimum Wage. Where boaTd is provided, 17/6 a week.is to be .deductbd. The weoMy fates of wageis for youths under 21 years shall ,be as kgreed upoh between the New Zealand Fruit-growers' Ifidustrial Union of Workers. The proportion of youths to be employed shall not exeeed two to- each adult male workcr, ineluding the owner, if he is employed as a working orchardist. This propbrtion may be exeeeded. if adult male Workers are not availablik Wages bhall be paid fortnightly ^ unless , ptherwise agreed between the emplbyer, the worker, and the accredited representative of the union. Casual seasonal workers are also, piovided for, adult inale workers recelving 1/8 an hour and female workers 1/4 pn hour* ahd those, over 1§ and hfideh 2i rbceive 1/2 ah hourv All Btatutory holidays are included in the agreemeht, and after , tvrelve months' continuous employmeht each employee Bhall . be . entitled , to one week '» holidhy * bh full hay, to be taken at a time suitable to the convenience of the employer.* Any femployee; other than a casual worker, who has had three months ' continuous empioyraent and whose employment is terminated either by himself or by his employer for any reason other than misconduct, shall be paid a proportibnhte sum in Keu of the holidays prescribed. Any worker employed oh statulory holidays shall, in addition to his ordihary rate of wages, be paid at the ordinary rate for all time on such holiday., Where Tequired, accommodktibh is lo be prohided as prescribed by Part II of the Agrichitural WorkbrS ' Act, A93S, k