HC Deb 22 July 1918 vol 108 cc1519-21

(1) The following provision shall be substituted for the first paragraph of Sub-section (1) of Section four of the principal Act (which relates to the duties and powers of trade boards with respect to minimum rates of wages):— Every trade board shall, subject to the provisions of this Section, fix a minimum rate of wages for time-work in their trade (in this Act referred to as 'a general minimum time-rate') and may also fix for their trade—

  1. (a) A general minimum rate of wages for piece-work (in this Act referred to as 'a general minimum piece-rate');
  2. (b) A minimum time-rate (which shall not be higher than the general minimum time-rate) to apply in the case of workers employed on piece-work for the purpose of securing to such workers a minimum rate of remuneration on a time-work basis (in this Act referred to as 'a guaranteed time-rate');
  3. (c) A minimum rate (whether a time-rate or a piece-rate) to apply, in substitution for the minimum rate which would otherwise be 1520 applicable, in respect of hours worked by a worker in any week in excess of the number of hours declared by the trade board to be the normal number of hours of work per week in the trade (in this Act referred to as 'an overtime rate');
Any of the minimum rates aforesaid, may be fixed so as to apply universally to the trade or so as to apply to any special process in the work of the trade or to any special area, or to any class of workers in the trade, or to any class of workers in any special process or in any special area."

Lord H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCK

I beg to move, in Sub-section (1, c), after the word "week" ["in any week"], to insert in the Bill the words "on any day."

This Clause as it stands guarantees the worker overtime rates when a normal week has been worked, but as has been pointed out upstairs, I think by the hon. Member for Hexham, it is possible for an unscrupulous employer to play hanky- panky with his workers and to employ a man two or three hours overtime on one day and perhaps five and six on another. The obect of this Amendment is to secure that the worker shall have overtime for every day that is worked overtime. I believe that it has the assent of the hon. Member for Hexham and also that of the Government, and I need hardly waste any more time, therefore, in commending it to the House.

Colonel GREIG

I beg to second the Amendment.

Mr. ROBERTS

I have pleasure in accepting the Amendment. Attention was drawn to this in Committee. It will be observed that as the Clause stands a trade board may fix rates only in respect of work in excess of the number of hours fixed as the normal for the trade, but it does not enable a trade board to fix a time rate in respect of the work beyond the normal hours of work on one day or even in respect of work performed on Sundays and holidays. That is certainly not our intention, and I am obliged to the Noble Lord for bringing forward this proposal, which will be an improvement to the Bill.

Mr. HOLT

I believe that I really drew the attention of the Government to this omission in the Bill, and I think that they are bound to make this alteration. It might be intolerable that it should be impossible to arrange an overtime rate for one day as well as for persons working the full number of hours in the week. At the same time, the matter must be dealt with with a great deal of care, because there is probably no worse form of bad work than that which results from having overtime rates paid before people work for a certain number of hours. I hope that the Ministry of Labour will be very careful in this respect, and watch with a very jealous eye the way in which any trade board establishes overtime rates for any special work where a small number of hours is worked. To my knowledge special time rates for Sunday work are a very great cause of no work being done on Saturday or Monday.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendment made: After the word "week" ["hours of work per week"], insert the words "for that day."—[Lord H. Cavendish-Bentinck.]