WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 February 1929, Page 3

WELLINGTON NEWS

THE'WORKING HOURS.

[Specul To The Guardian .]

•WELLINGTON, Feb. 16

Oiie of the strongest indictment; against the Arbitration Court system is that it severs the cordial relation that should and often do exist betwee,. the workers and their employers. The timber workers dispute in Australia .3. a case in point. The grievance or th men is against the Court and n-.t tin. employers. Had the parties conferred and reached an agreement that agreement would have been observed because it would have been viewed as a “gentleman’s agreement.” But third party has intervened and ordered that the hours of work shall lx henceforth 48 instead of 44. Had the Court decided that the hours shouh. not exceed 40 a week the Court would 3iave been acclaimed by the worker: as an ideal institution, but on the other hand the employers woul.l have been dissatisfied. Now that the Court has fixed 48 hours the employers an. satisfied while the workers are very much dissatisfied and they are able to show this by refusing on masse to continue at work.

The employers on the other hand can show their displeasure or aii their grievances by closing down their establishments. Whatever way it is viewed the power to intervene and decide vested in a third party ;s not in the public interest. The Court too is apparently impotent to enforce iis decisions, as can the Supreme Court or any .other of our Courts. Who would dare to .floqt the decisions of the Supreme Court? The Arbitration is and can be on occasions treated with .the utmost contempt, for it is obviously gross .contempt to deliberately refuse to obey the decision of the Court. The arbitration system of Australia and .New Zealand is based pn wrong principles .and the suggestion of the Economic Committee that visited Australia is worth adopting. Tim Commission suggested that the Arbitration Court should not be requested to adjudicate without being assured in writing .by bath parties that every effort had been made to arrive at an agreement through conciliation, and when the Court does adjudicate it should be under an obligation to consider ..the economic effect of its decision on other trades and industries and on-.the .general public. With respect to -hours practically the whole of the European States have now in force, some provision for controlling the number of working hours in industry. A report prepared by the International Labour Office giving precise indications with regard to 1 he application of the principle of the eight-hour day in European industry concludes that general legislation on the subject of hours of work in force in 21 States. Six States have c-nly partial legislation—‘Great Britain, Irish ,Fee State, Denmark, Esthonia, Luxemburg and Switzerland. If however

count is taken of the scope of regulation by collective agreement it appears that the only States with no regulation or hours of work are Hungary .and Turkey (whose ’European territory is very smalt), in which industry occupies quite a secondary place .in the national -economy,- anu Albania which has Jio industrial estalishments at all. Almost all the legislation and .collective agreements prescribe a normal working agreement of 48 hours or less.

The only exception to this rule are certain occupations subject to .special legislative provisions such .as uuekeis in the Netherlands and bakers i.i Greece and small 6cale industry in the Serb-Uroat-Sloveue Kingdom: In Switzerland the collective agreements for the various handicrafts -rarely exceed this limit. A considerable number of countries have instituted the Saturday half-holiday. The distribution of hours of work over a longer period than a week has been adopted id a :number of countries. Belgium, which has ratified the Eight-hour Convention, has in a variety of way. avoided th© prolongation of hours ol work by making a generous use ol this derogation. For work which must necessarily be carried on continuously several States have adopted an average working week of 58 hours; while others such as Italy, the Netherlands and Norway, have maintained the average of 48 hours. In Belgium workers employed in shifts for an average of 56 hours a week over a period of 3 weeks are entitled to a compensatory rest (for 26 complete days per annum, which reduces by so much the average annual weekly hours ; of work calculated over the year.

The collective making up of hours lost for reasons as a rule specifically mentioned is allowed by the Austrian. French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swiss legislations. The extent to which the normal number of hours of work is authorised to bo extended in the case of preparatory or complementary work varies according to the different legislations but rarely exceeds two hours. A certain number of hours of overtime are also allowed in the event of exceptional stress of work. According to the legislation of most countries overtime has to he paid at an increased rate, and the minimum rate of increase is. generally from 25 to per cent. Finally the legislation of the great maiorit.v of countries considered provides measures to enable the regular application of the provisions on hours of work, the establishment of timetables, supervision by factory inspectors and the application of a system of penalties.