ARBITRATION COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 January 1921, Page 4

ARBITRATION COURT.

APPLICATIONS FOR BONUSES. THE TARANAKI AWARD. Decision has been given by the Arbitration Court in regard to the applications for bonuses, which were made by a number of industrial unions at a recent sitting in New Plymouth. The matter had been deferred pending the settlement of the bonus question for the Dominion and an increase of 3s was made by the Court in Wellington. This brings the total bonuses up to 9s per week. In the grocery trade male and female worker® other than adults receive a 4s bonus, being an addition of Is per week. Female adult workers who previously were granted no bonus at all, are now allowed a bonus of 4s fid per week. The motor and horse drivers’ bonus is increased from 10s to 13s per weelf for adult employees. Casual workers receive an increase of Jd per hour, and youths receive an advance of Is per week, making the bonus 6s instead of ss. The wages of bakers and pastrycooks are fixed as follows: Foreman bakers, £4 ss; journeymen, £3 15s; and bakers’ labourers, £3 ss. In country bakehouses, where only one journeyman baker is employed, the rate of wages is fixed on the basis of the weekly output, as follows: 2900 21b loaves per week. £4 12s fid; 1500 loaves, £3 17s Cd; 1250 loaves, £3 12s fid; under 1250 loaves, £3 7s fid. T<s all of the rates given above a bonus of 14s per week is added. Apprentices, who were, not previouslygiven a bonus, are allowed fis per week bonus on, the minimum wage fixed. In a memorandum added by the Court it was stated that no bonus had been applied for since the award was made on October 3*l, 1918, under , the present application. The Court therefore granted the accumulated bonuses granted by employers in this industry in other districts. The basis of the rate was altered slightly so as to approximate to the rate paid in other districts.

In the cases of the Carpenters* and Joiners’ Union and the Fu niture Trade Workers’ Union, the bosus is increased from 3d to 3£d per htnir, and to apprentices by Is per week. The wages fixed in the tailoring trade are: For men, £4 per week, with the proviso that no reduction is to be made in the wages paid to any worker who is already reeeivisg over the minimum wage fixed. The 3s per week bonus is also awarded to these workers. Vest, skirt, trousers and breeches hands receive £2 per week, plus a bonus of 3s V>d; and coat hands, after (Completing apprenticeship, £2 12s fid, plus Is fid bonus. Male and female apprentices are awarded an increase of Is per week. The bonuses to piece workers are: Males 3s, females Is 6d. All the increased bopuses awarded date from November 1, 1920.

DOMINION AWARDS. BONUS AMENDMENTS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Arbitration Court amendments to industrial awards, chiefly increased bonuses, were filed to-day. In the male boot operatives’ Dominion award an amendment provides a minimum wage of not less than Is fid an hour for time actually worked, with a bonus of 4|d an hour. The working week is fixed at 45 hours. Overtime is time and a half for the first three hours and double thereafter. The female boot operatives’ award, as amended, provides a minimum of £2 a week, increased by a bonus of 4s fid. In the case of woollen mills’ employees the following bonuses are in addition to the award rate®:—Adult males j?d an hour; females %d; girls, boys and youths Is a week. In the case of shearers, , shed hands’ current rates are increased by the following bonuses:—Adults, weekly 13s, hourly 3Jd; youths, Ca and IJd respectively. In the case of printers, machinists, etc., the existing bonus of 11-s is Increased by ,3s for male workers and females’ present bonus is increased to 4s fid. The order regarding the bonus is the same in the case of typographers-