The Latest Wages Proposals
Page 21
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Modifications in Rates and Conditions in Respect of Wages Paid to Haulage Workers as Set Out in a New Government Pub
lication
THE Road Haulage Wages Board, in
R.H.9, gives notice of the intention to submit to the Minister of Labour and National Service certain proposals relating to the remuneration of classes of road-haulage workers, in respect of whom statutory remuneration is not at present effected. These proposals are summarized below, and it should be noted that any objections thereto should be lodged with the Board within 21 days from April 11.
The first modification relates to wages paid to drivers under 21 years of age. Whereas in R.H.8 the classification of these drivers was according to years of employment, it is now proposed that they shall be paid according to age.
According to the new proposals it is to be as follows:— Carrying capacity Grade 1' Grade 2 Grade 3
of 30 cwt. or less. 8. 4. e. d, s. d. Under 1P years of age ... 43 6 40 6 37 6 18 and under 19 ... 46 6 43 6 40 6 19 and under 20 51 6 48 6 45 6 20 and under 21 ... 59 0 56 0 53 0
Provision is made for the payment of an additional wage to drivers of vehicles, permissible only under the new regulation, which allows the gross laden weight of a vehicle, and trailer to be 30 tons. In all areas, drivers of vehicles exceeding 22 tons gross (24 tons in the case of steam wagons) are to be paid is. per day extra.
There is provision, hitherto absent, for statutory wages to be payable to statutory attendants under 18 years of age. For those on long-distance services and in Grade I areas, the wages are £2 3s. 6d., in Grade II areas £2 Os. 6d., and in Grade III areas 21 17s, 6d.
The scales of payment for other haulage workers have now been brought into line with those laid down in R.H.8, in relation to workers in the London Area. That is to say, it is proposed that they should be based on age instead of years of service. The scale is as follows:—
Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3
s. d. s. d. s. d.
21 years of age or
over ... 71. 6 66 6 61 6 20 and under 21 ... 56 0 53 0 50 0 19 and under 20 ... 48 6 45 6 42 6 18 and under 19 ... 43 6 40 6 37 6 17 and under 18 ... 33 0 31 0 29 0 16 and under 17 ... 28 0 26 0 25 0 15 and under 16 ... 24 0 23 0 22 0 14 and under 15 ... 20 0 19 0 15 0
The wages payable to those haulage workers who are engaged on longdistance services is the same as those set out, above in respect of Grade I areas. The effect of these proposals is to amend the rates for " other roadhaulage workers " 18 and under 21 years of age, other than van guards, to fix rates for van guards 18 and under 21 years of age, and to fix rates for workers under 18 years of age, including van guards.
It is proposed to cancel thp provisions relating to workers engaged in the haulage of agricultural produce, so that the ruling now in force, that they be paid 10 per cent, less than the appropriate Grade III wages, will cease to have effect..
In computing hours of work the rule in R.H.8 is that a regular worker who
works on any day (other than Sunday) for a period less than Si hours shall be deemed to have worked for
tours. It is now proposed that this clause shall read as follows:—A regular worker, to whom the guaranteed week provisions apply, who works on a Saturday for a period of less than four hours shall be deemed to have worked for four hours. A regular worker to whom the guaranteed-week provisions apply, who works on any day other than Saturday or Sunday, for a period of less than 51 hours, shall be deemed to have worked for 51 hours.
The point to note is that these provisions now apply to only those to whom the guaranteed-week provisions apply and that an allowance of four hours is the limit for Saturday instead of, as previously, 5-/ hours.
There is a modification in the ruling relating to' the payment of subsistence and wages to workers who are away from home for periods in excess of 14 hours. At present, if the period of rest exceeds 14 hours the worker shall be deemed to be on duty for a minimum period of 51 hours. It is proposed that instead he shall be paid for the actual hours worked in excess of 14 hours up to a maximum of 191. hours, when he will be entitled to a further sum of 3s. 6d. as subsistence, as before.
It is proposed that there should be a modification in the method of assessment in overtime and under this provision is made for a class of worker not hitherto selected for special treatment, namely, those regular workers who are exclusively engaged on the transport of films. The new clause reads as follows:—
The following shall be regarded as overthne:— There is a minor modification in the regulation relating to annual holidays and holiday remuneration and the definition of absence of the worker, which would debar him from full enjoyment of the holidays or holiday pay, is more clearly defined and set out in greater detail.
The' grading of a number of places is, according to these provisions, to be stepped up.
There is a necessary amendment to paragraph 26 of 12.11.8 which states that the provisions, as regards carrying capacity of a vehicle, shall not apply to the London area. That is corrected now, so that in cases where the gross laden weight of the vehicle and trailer exceeds 22 tons (or 24 .tons when the drawing vehicle is a steam wagon), the, provision as regards _gross laden weight shall apply in the London area.
A definition of a milk worker has been revised. He is described as a regular worker
(a) who is. exclusively engaged on the collection Of milk from farms and its delivery to dairies on seven days a week or on six days a week in the case of a worker who does not perform any work for the employer on the remaining day; or
(b) who is employed seven days a week, and if more than half his time during the week, on the collection of milk from farms and its delivery to dairies, the remainder of his time being spent on work other than road-haulage work for the same employer.
There is a proposal that, in the case of employees in the furniture, warehbusing and removing industry, where the weekly short day is other than Saturday, that it is to be accepted and the regulation read as though that particular day were Saturday.