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NO LONGER HOURS
SPREAD FOR
SHOP ASSISTANTS
BRISBANE, Monday.—An increased spread .of hours for shop
assitants in the Southern Division of the' State \wfh a'View, while
retaining a 40 hour week to open shops from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on
week days, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays,'..wa?today re
fused by'a reserved judgment of the Full .Bench' jof the . Industrial
Court.
At present, shops in the
Factories and Shops dis
tricts of Brisbane and Ips
wich open from 8.15 .un.
to 4.40 pm. week days and
from 8.35 a.m. to 11^0 a.m.
on Saturdays, while outside
these areas in the South
ern Division, slipps open
from 845 pm. to 5.10 p.m»
on week days and from 8.45
o.m. to 11.40 a.m. on Sat
urdays.
Justice Barry and Messrs.
Dwyer and Harvey in their
judgment said Mr. K. C.
Shaw (for the Queensland
Retailors’ Association) pur
ported, to base his case upoa
public interest In conjunction
with Industrial justice for the
employees In the Industry.
But this statement was
roundly challenged by Mr T.
Coneybeer. who had told the
court that, not long ago when
he made an exactly similar
application on behalf of the
Queensland Grocers and Re
tail Traders? Association, the
Retailers* Association camo
to the court and opposed it.
Mr. Consybcer said that
Mr. Shaw had at that time
opposed ■ the claim and
baosd his iase on public
interest. Now Mr. Shaw
came and talked about pub
lic interest, but public In
terest came second as far
as the retail association
was . concerned. It was
wholly 'retailers* interest.
Mr. J. Hcffernan (for the
Shop Assistants' Union) also
strongly criticised Mr. Shaw’s
statement, claiming firstly
that the move was to in
crease profits at the expense
>f- smaller or suburban
stores, and t6 prevent subur
ban shopping centres from
developing, end seconaiy,
that Industrial Justice was
scarcely being done to em
ployees (engaged In one of
the few callings which did
not enjoy a five day week) by
spreading their working week
over 55 hours, extending to 6
p.m. on week days and 1 p.m.
on Saturdays.
The court in its Judgment
said,Mr. Shaw had referred
to the lunch hour which was
the peak trading period with
only two-thirds of the em
ployees available, and claim
ed that the extra hour and
10 minutes at the end of the
day and the extra 15 min
utes between 8 a.m. and 8.15
would relieve this lunch hour
pressure.
Mr. J. P, O'Malley (for the
Commissioner of Railways)
had stated that if time for
opening shops were altered
to 8 a.m. it would not be
possible for the Railway
Department to depart from
the existing train service.
It was in the penk period's
,.f the day and every ava'.i
lifcle locomotive and coach
were in operation at that
The judgment added that
the onus of establishing a
claim for change of hours
was on Mr. Shaw, and the
court was of the opinion he
had_ failed to discharge such
■President of the Retailers
Association of Queensland
(Mr. Paul Barry) said tonight
that tine Industrial Court's
decision rejecting longer
shopping hours was a big dis
appointment.
He said that no body rep
resentative of public opinion
opposed the application. lit
other countries railways wok
run to suit the traffic, not the
traffic to suit the railways.
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