I move amendment No. 1:—
In page 2, Section 2, sub-section (1), between lines 19 and 20, to insert a new definition as follows:—
"weekday" does not mean Sunday."
Last week when this Bill was in Committee we made the case that there should be specifically stated in the Bill that a week-day does not mean Sunday, as it was conceivable that any employer who wanted to avoid the impact of the Act might possibly argue that Sunday being a week-day he could allow the worker the half-holiday on that day. In reply to our arguments the Minister stated that there was no need for this amendment because the Interpretation Act of 1937 defined Sunday as not being a weekday.
The point I want to put is that few, if any, agricultural employers will have heard of the Interpretation Act of 1937, that a great many people outside the agricultural community will not have heard of it either, and therefore they will not be aware of the fact that Sunday has been defined as not being a weekday. Our idea in asking to have this amendment inserted is to simplify the Bill and make it perfectly clear that Sunday must be excluded when consideration of the half-holiday comes up. We still feel that a reference to the Interpretation Act of 1937 should at least be included in the Bill.
It should not be left to argument which might have to take place in a court or in some other quarter. It should be put beyond aye or nay, and there should be a specific provision in the Bill along the lines of the amendment that a weekday does not mean Sunday, or, alternatively, there should be an explanatory reference to the Interpretation Act of 1937.