HOLIDAYS ON PAY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 May 1939, Page 4

HOLIDAYS ON PAY

DRAFT BILL PREPARED CIRCULATED TO INDUSTRIAL COUNCILS. MINISTER TESTING OPINION. (By Telegraph—Press Association./ AUCKLAND, May 19. To test the opinion of all sections of industry concerned, a draft Bill, which proposes to provide for all workers employed for hire or reward an annual holiday of two weeks on full pay, has been circulated among industrial advisory councils by the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb. The proposed Bill has not yet been submitted to either Cabinet or caucus, and Mr Webb has said that there was no promise that it would become law. “The draft Bill was prepared by Mr Armstrong before I took office as Minister of Labour, after representations had been made by different sections of the community,” Mr Webb said. “I took the Bill and sent it out to the industrial advisory councils for them to discuss it and make representations.”

Mr Webb said he wanted to see what effect the proposals contained in the Bill would have upon industry generally, and, to do that, it was necessary for him to send it out to the people concerned. Before the draft Bill was taken any further, however, it would be presented to Cabinet and to caucus, and would have to meet with their approval, after being discussed by the sections of. industry concerned. It would depend upon all these factors whether or not the Bill went any further. ‘lt is my intention to ask Cabinet for authority to go on with the Bill if satisfactory arrangements are made between the parties,” the Minister continued. He said that perhaps, if the parties concerned could reach a satisfactory compromise, he would have to consider the whole proposal.

“My main ouject is to get opinions from every quarter that would be affected and to find out exactly what the proposals would mean,” he said. Mr Webb added that there was no promise that the draft Bill would become law or be introduced as a Bill.

The draft Bill contains clauses providing that where the provisions of any award, or agreement, or conditions or service are less favourable to the worker than the provisions of the Bill, the Bill should prevail. The annual holiday is not to include public or statutory holidays. The holiday shall be upon full pay and there shall be included in the pay the cash equivalent of board and lodging, or other special allowances. The pay of persons on an output or piecework basis shall be calculated on the basis of the average earnings over the six months before the holiday or over the period of employment, whichever is greater. No worker shall contract himself out of the provisions of the Act, nor shall he engage in naid employment during any annual holiday of a week or more.