AN APPEAL BOARD

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 14, 16 July 1931, Page 11

AN APPEAL BOARD

COUNCIL EMPLOYEES

CONSTITUTION QUESTION

City Council employees who consider they have a legitimate cause for complaint, will, in future, have an Appeal Board to which they can refer their grievances. This decision was reached by the C^ty Council last night, but the constitution is to be decided upon at a 'future meeting. Tramway employees are, of course, not affected by the decision, as they already have an Appeal Board to deal with their particular complaints. NEED FOR SOME TRIBUNAL. The Mayor said that he had expressed publicly his opinion that there should be some arrangement made whereby an employee who thought— rightly or wrongly—that he had some grievance should'< be able to come before a .tribunal and state his case. After some-discussion with various employees he thought they could go a little further than that and have someone to appear before the tribunal on the employee's behalf. He moved that the Staff Committee of the council should be appointed to hear appeals from employees. ' The staff should bo notified "of this and any employee should have the right to bo represented by anyone he chose. Councillor Meadowcroft said that he understood from the employees' deputation, which had waited on the council, that any charge made would not be a frivolous one and would first of all bo heard by the organisation to which the employee belonged. Councillor, Chapman said that al-. though the Mayor's proposal"was not exactly what the deputation had wanted, he thought that it would be acceptable to the staff, and they should be offered this.; . ' Councillor W. Duncan asked why the staff should not be given what they asked for? They1 wanted two members of the council and two members, elected by the staff, with the Mayor as. chairman. He thought this would be more acceptable to the employees than a committee of four members of the coun^ cil, and he moved' an amendment in this direction. ■ •

Councillor M'Keen seconded the amendment on I;he grounds that ■ the Appeal Board suggested by Councillor Duncan would be fairer to the staff and more acceptable to them on account of having their own representatives on it. '■ '■ -~ '.■".' '" - ■..■■■' '■'■'. ~ • PAINFUL EXPERIENCES. . "The average councillor is usually ; a little more favourable to the man in charge,'^'said Councillor Semple. He had had two very painful experiences in this direction while'a member, of the council himself, and he considered that the staff should have J;heir own representatives on any board set up. , . Councillor ,Holm supported the amendment on the grounds that if the council.was going to make an innovation it .should make one which would havo the confidence of the staff. ; Councillor M'Keen said that the employees did not want the Staff Committee as an Appeal Board. They had refused it before, and at a large meeting in the Trades Hall had decided that what they wanted was an Appeal Board on which they had\ direct representation. The Mayor suggested1 that the matter should bo stood over until a latermeeting in order to allow him to go into the matter more fully. He had only studied tho question from one aspect, and he would like to look at , every side. Councillor M'Keen . suggested that the council at this meeting could decide to set up an Appeal Board, and tho constitution could be gone, into ;lator. ; ' . '' The proposal was agreed to and, on the motion of the Mayor,' it was decided to set up an Appeal Board. ; Councillor Semple (to the Mayor)! "In the meantime you could consult one or two members of the deputation." The Mayor: "I will do that."