§ For the purpose of calculating the amount of the wages payable in the case of a worker employed on any work for which a minimum rate-of wages has been fixed under the principal Act, the worker shall be deemed to have been em- 1533 ployed during all the time during which he was present on the premises of the employer, unless the employer proves that he was so present without the employer's consent express or implied, or that he was so present for some purpose unconnected with his work and other than that of waiting for work to be given to him to perform, and in the case of a worker employed on piecework shall be deemed during any time during which he was so present and was not doing piecework to have been employed at the general minimum time-rate applicable to workers of the class to which he belongs.
Mr. ROBERTSI beg to move, at the end, to add the words,
Provided that, (a) where a worker resides on the premises of the employer he shall not be deemed to be employed during any time during which he is present on the premises by reason only of the fact that he is so resident, and (b) a worker while present during normal meal-times in a room or place in which no work is being done shall be deemed to be present for a purpose unconnected with his work.In Committee, the fear was expressed that a worker who resides on his employer's premises would be entitled to wages at the minimum rates during any time during which he was on the premises merely for the purpose of residing there, and the first part of my Amendment is designed to meet that point. That never was the intention, of course. With respect to the second point, there seemed to be some doubt whether the clause would compel the employer to pay his workers for meal-times. This was not the intention of the Clause, and the Amendment is designed to make that clear.
§ Amendment agreed to.