FURTHER INCREASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26641, 11 December 1947, Page 8

FURTHER INCREASE

CLOTHING TRADE WAGES EARLIER DECISION AMENDED RECOGNITION OF SPECIAL CLAIMS Industrial Correspondent WELLINGTON, Dec. 10. Further wage increases for clothing trade workers were announced by the Court of Arbitration to-day. The court, after hearing the claims put forward by the New Zealand Clothing Trades Employees’ Federation last week, has amended its previous desion bn the application of the standard wage pronouncement to the industry. A further wage increase of 5s 3d a week has been granted to second-class chart cutters, stockcutters and trimmers, male machinists, examiners, pressers and journey women under the New Zealand clothing trades employees award, the New Zealand (except northern industrial district) dressmakers and milliners’ award, and the New Zealand shirt, white and silk workers’ award. This increase, together _ with the 4s 9d granted by the court in its former amendment of awards brings the total increase to the full 10s a week of the standard wage pronouncement. The minimum wage for adult male machinists is now £7 Is and for journeywomen £4 6s a week and varying increases have been granted to juniors. The New Zealand Clothing Trade Employees’ Federation at the court hearing last week asked for £7 3s 4d a week for adult males and £4 6s for journeywomen. The employers agreed to £7 Is for adult males, but opposed the increase to £7 3s 4d, which would have been the equivalent of 12s 4d a week increase. Judge Tyndall, in a memorandum to the court’s order, issued yesterday, said that the workers’ application for a feview of" the former amendment to awards was made on the ground that both parties in 1946 agreed that adult male and female workers in all sections of the garment industry should, be recognised as skilled workers and paid accordingly. He said that the court oh September 25 last, of its own motion, issued an order amending these awards under regulation 39c of the economic stabilisation emergency regulations. . > , , . In effect, the. submissions made last week to the court in support application under regulation 39c were in conflict with the submissions made on behalf of the workers in general in the recent standard wage case, l was contended by the applicant workers’ organisation Jast week that the 1946 award for the clothing trade, which was the result of complete agreement between the parties, established the proper relationship between rates- of remuneration of clothing trade workers and the rates of remuneration at that time of other classes of workers. This contention was not seriously disputed by the employers. Having regard especially to the fact that many classes of workers in the industry were required to serve an apprenticeship peridd, the court had now decided, said Judge Tyndall, to exercise its powers under regulation 39A an<p make further amendments to the award. This decision, however, was not to be regarded as a precedent in respect of industries in which the conditions were not identical with those prevailing in the clothing industry. The new increases will come into force, as agreed between the parties, on January 15, 1948.