DISPUTE WITH LOCO. MEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 197, 18 August 1920, Page 4

DISPUTE WITH LOCO. MEN.

PATMENT FOR STANDING TIMS i CRUX OF THE DIFFICULTY (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.! WELLINGTON, this day. The Railway Department has begun the payment of the latest bonus to all sections of the service, including the locomotive men, whose dispute has not been finally settled. The executive ol the locomotive men's association will confer with the 51 \nister of Railways on Thursday upon the points concerning I Vhich an agreement has not yet been. ' reached. I understand that the chief question in dispute is the payment for standing time between runs. It was formerly the practice or the Department to pay for this time, but it has now ' ceased under the new agreement. The men contend that unices standing time jbe paid for there is a tendency to keep I them at the disposal of the Department I for a long period, though owing to the j intermittent times of duty they are only ' paid for a comparatively short period ; compared with the total 1 " time they are away from their homes. to the fact that it was pro* posed not to pay for standing time was brought under the notice of the locomen in a circular recently issued by their representatives. It was' pointed out in respect to the proposed conditions that basic pay was to be paid at rate and I one-half for all tkne in excess of eight I hours from booking on to booking "off duty, therefore standing time would not be paid for at the home station.