Junior Male Workers' Wages and Apprenticeship
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AN important agreement between the Engineering and Allied Employers' National Federation and the Amalgamated Eongineering Union was signed on July 25. It is not entirely news, but is a codification of -two previous agreements and of certain agreed practices covering procedure and wages of apprentices, boys and youths, thus bringing them together in a readily accessible document to provide ease in administration. To avoid the cumbersome phrase "apprentices, boys and' youths," the phrase "junior male workers" has been re-introduced, thus lining up with employees over 21 years of age (always hitherto referred to as adult male workers).
A new point is that provision is made under the "Procedure for Avoiding Disputes," which brings that for boys more into line with that accepted for adults, and permits a boy to have his case put forward by a recognized shop steward constitutionally appointed by the Union.
In the original wages agreement of March 26, 1941, no provision was made for wage schedules for boys of 14 and 15. A number of local agreements has, however, been reached with the A.E.U. in various parts of the country, and so the new agreement "sets out a national basis at these two ages. At 14, the schedule is 15 per cent, of 'the journeyman's wage, and at 15, 20 per cent. (except where local, agreements provide higher rates). The existing schedule of 25 per cent. at 16, rising to 60 per cent, at is unchanged.
At the request of the Union, there has been inserted a declaratory sentence reading:—" All apprenticeships shall commence at 16 years of age and terminate at 21 years of age, subject to the qualification that special provision may be made for exceptional cases for boys commencing their apprenticeship at a later age than 16 years."
It is provided that a boy commencing apprenticeship at 16 plus, shall serve 12 months at each of the scheduled rates, except that in the last year his bonus shall be increased from his 21st birthday to that applicable nationally to adult workers.