CONTRACT WORK

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1940, Page 6

CONTRACT WORK

PORI OF NEW PLYMOUTH START THIS MORNING OVERSEAS SHIPS FIRST

Waterfront labour at New Plymouth will work under the contract system for the first time this morning. After being addressed yesterday morning by Mr. R. E. Price, chairman, and Mr. J. Roberts, of the Waterfront Control Commission, members of the New Plymouth union agreed to accept the system and to begin work. under it immediately. For the present the contract system will be regarded as an experiment at New Plymouth and will be applied only to the loading and unlnading of overseas ships. Phosphate and sulphur cargoes

will be worked under the old system, but if the trial is successful the system will eventually be extended to those cargoes and to work on coastal ships. Bonus to be Paid. Working gangs will continue to be selected by the waterside bureau, which will be taken over by the control comniissioner, it is understodd. The men will be paid award rates, but, in addition, they will become entitled to a bonus, or profit, on their work. This will be worked out for a whole ship and will be distributed equally among the

gangs employed on it. Payment is not likely to be made at the same time as the wages, it is stated. but after records have been compiled of all the work on the ship at the port. An important ingredient of the system by which the bonus is arrived at is beli'eved to be the time in which the work is done. The faster the work the greater the bonus to be distributed equally to all the gangs working on one ship. The system, which was inaugurated at Patea some time ago, has since been fully adopted at Bluff. Timaru and Picton, where it is reported to be operating with satisfaction to all parties.