MORE TRAMWAY TROUBLE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 126, 28 May 1918, Page 6

MORE TRAMWAY TROUBLE.

MEW STIU. DISSATISFIED. WITH WORKING ARRANGEMENTS. Now that an agreement is in force between the Auckland Electric Tram-way Company and the men at work for them, the tramwaymen are taking exception to the rearrangements made by the company to meet the conditions imposed by the new scheme of things. The men have held two largelyattended meetings since the agreement came into force, and have heard the report of their representatives at the conferences. At these meetings the chairman of the later conferences, Hon. Geo. Fowlde, came in for a great deal of adverse criticism, it being alleged by some speakers that he "changed his front," to come extent, at the later meeting over which he presided. The principal demands of the men were for an eight-hour day and an increased wage, and it is at some of the company's arrangements to give effect to the agreement entered into that the men demur. For instance, there is the question of the night shift in the boms. Under the recent conditions the work was done in 8J hours, with thirty minutes of this as "crib" time. This was changed to eight hours, inclusive of the half-hour not working, and the men feel aggrieved that the half-hour's difference was struck off the first of the time instead of the later end, as they desired, so that they could have been able to go home on the earliest cars. In connection with the same thing, the men in the barns complain that the halfhour's work has been cut off, but no additional men are put on, so that they have to do the same work as formerly in the leeser time. They are finding, too, that the company's idea of the eight-hour day does not always coincide with theirs, for the long runs which used to go to the seniors by service have been cut down to practically the eight hours. This has brought about the position that, while some of the men have had their ordinary wages increased by about 4/ or 5/, yet these same men are losing 10/ or more of the wages they think they should get. through loss of overtime. The section of the men immediately concerned with this position have requisitioned for special meetings of the union to review the position once more. These -will be held on Thursday this week. Another point of grievance concerns the car cleaners in their Sunday work. These men say their hours have been cut down by one, without any alteration in their work. Besides the curtailment of the hours of the senior men, yet another complaint is that instead of a minimieing of their "call-back" duty, ac asked for in the men's demands, this duty is being considerably increased. This results in their hours of. work now becoming very long; and irksome to them. A movement is now on foot amongst the men to hold a stop-work meeting on Saturday, June 1. If this etop-work meeting is held, the men will review the whole position then, and come to some decision as to their future course and action.