DAIRY FACTORY WORKERS’ AWARD

Hokitika Guardian, 10 April 1930, Page 5

DAIRY FACTORY WORKERS’ AWARD

FEW ALTERATIONS MADE.

WELLINGTON, April 8

Few departures from the old award were made by the Arbitration Court in the award issued to-day governing conditions in the butter and cheese factories and creameries. The Court regarded the present time as inopportune for making changes whuli would have the effect of increasing the costs of production. In a memorandum to the award, Mr Justice Frazer said that the principal matter in dispute was hours of work. The Court recognised that the hours of work during the busy season were longer thou those in other industries, and it recognised, also, that they were spread over a seven-days’ week, though those disadvantages were, to some extent compensated for by the provision of considerably shorter hours during the slack season and by the granting of holiday leave on full pay. The Court would prefer, if it could see its way to do so, to spread the daily hours more evenly over the whole season, and to allow a day off a week to each worker. In the smaller factories a real difficulty was involved in arranging for a weekly clay off during the busy season, and in many of the larger factories there would be an increase in costs. In view of the present condition of the dairy produce, market, the Court realised that the present time was inopportune for making any material' alteration in the conditions under which the factories were working. It had, however, decided to fix a short time for the currency of the present award (to February 28th. 1931) and hoped that if the market improved before another award was applied for, the parties would concentrate their efforts on the framing of a system of working which would enable a six-days’ week to be worked. ,

It was recognised, of course, that the factories must, in most cases, work on seven days a week, but it ought to be possible to arrange for mutual concessions that would enable the workers to have a weekly day off without unduly increasing the costs of production. A majority of the Court had amended the classification of workers in the smaller cheese factories to conform to the classification existing in the Northern and Otago and Southland districts. Nlr L. J. Schmitt desired to record a dissent in that matter.

IVitli that exception the award was concurred in by all the members of the Con rt.