FLAXWORKERS' WAGES.

Shannon News, 17 June 1921, Page 2

FLAXWORKERS' WAGES.

AGREEMENT WITH EMPLOYERS. MILLS WILL SHORTLY RESUME. At a conference between the New Zealand Flaxmillers’ Association and the Manawatu Flaxworkers’ Union, a proposed agreement as to rates of pay and conditions of employment was discussed and later submitted to the workers at a general meeting. The latter have adopted it and notified the Flaxmillers’ Association of their decision. RATES OF PAY. The agreement provides for the following rates of pay and conditions of employment: Day work, 14s per day; feeders, 15s per day; stripper-keepers, 2s 6d per day extra; horse drivers £4 2s per week; automatic scutchers, 16s per ton two presses, 17s peruon one press; hand scutchers, 20s per ton power press, 30s per ton hand press; paddocking with carting, 32s summer rate, 35s winter rate; paddocking without carting, 23s summer rate, 26s winter rate; compulsory stacking, 2s 6d per ton of fibre to be'added to paddocking rate; paddocking, day work, 14s per day; flaxcutting, minimum .rate. 7s 6d per ton; tramming 3d per ton reduction on last year’s rate. The rate to be charged for board to be 24s per week, provided that if any employer, contract cook, lessee or licensee of the cookhouse shall charge, or attempt to charge more than 24s per week, the matter shall be referred to the union, which, having regard to the conditions prevailing at the mill in question, shall adjust the matter between the owner of the mill and the employees interested on any basis satisfactory to the parties, and pending or failing such adjustment, no contract cook, etc., to charge any sum greater than 24s per week. The agreement to date from June 24. 1921, and to be terminated by either side on their giving 30 days’ notice of their intention to do so, and a conference of both parties shall be called immediately to deal with any issue involved. LOSS IN WAGES. The effect of this agreement is, so a reporter was informed, that the mills in this district will probably resume I operations at an eifrly date, thus giving employment to large numbers of men at present only doing casual work. There are usually in normal times 32 strippers at work and the wages amount to £2OO each per fortnight. Most of the mills have been closed for three months now so that the loss of wages runs to nearly £40.000, though it must be remembered that the mills, or some of them at least, are idle at this time each year.— Standard.