THE AFTERMATH.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 220, 16 September 1924, Page 9

THE AFTERMATH.

j RAILWAYMEN'S STRIKE. | CONDITIONS AND PAT. I SECOND DIVISION MEN. I THE BOARD OF INQUIRY'S | RECOMMENDATIONS. ! ACCEPTED BY GOVERNMENT. Following the strike by members of the second division in the Government H railways in April last, a Board of Inquiry "was set up under the Government Railways Amendment Act to inquire and report to the Minister of Railways, the Hon. J. G. Coates, whether there should be any alteration in the rates of pay and conditions of work then in operation in respect of members of the if second division. The Board of Inquiry, consisting of the members of the Arbitration Court (His Honor Mr. Justice Frazer and Messrs. W. Scott and H. Hunter, assessorßl, also Mr. Jas. Mason, representing the Railway Department, and Mr. M. J. Mack, the A.S.R.S., commenced its sittings at Wellington on June 10, aud continued hearing evidence and argument until June .25. Seventy-one claims were presented by the A.S.R.S., for whom Mr. M. Connelly appeared, and six by the Railways •Department, represented by Mr. H. H. Sterling. The board deliberated in comjnittee from June 25 to July 14, and from August 10 to 23, and has issued its report covering the whole of the claims. To the first claim by the A.5.R.5.,. I that leading line-erectors be classified and receive the same rate of pay as leading signal-directors, tlie Department offered no objection, and the board _ recommended accordingly. The board does not recommend that tablet porters he paid from first booking on duty till finally booking off on all statutory holidays, but recommends that they shall not be booked off duty for any period less than one hour on such holidays. . On the claim that all casual quarrymen and ballast-pit employees be paid for wet weather, the report recommends that where men travel to work by train and no work is done owing to wet weathen they shall be paid travelling time, also waiting time between out- \ going and returning trains, but in no case shall they be entitled to more than . .a day's wages for anyj day. Touching 'overtime, the recommendation is that all overtime rates be computed on the ■classified hourly, daily or weekly rates, | .as the case may be, while touching Sundays and holidays the recommendation is that the rates be on : Jha classified rates of pay. The parties agreed that where a guard was booked off for less than eight hours he be granted two hours' standing time, and tlie report recommended accordingly, but where a guard was booked off at other than home stations under oir- - cmnstances entitling him to. night allowance, he be paid three hours' standing time. Other recommendations are that the winter period for gangers and sur- . facemen be extended from September 15 to. October 15, and that instead of being ■ : ■. granted a day off every month, they be granted, it the majority so desire, alternate Saturday afternoons off. The Division Barrier. • Concerning the claim by the A.S.R.S. that the division barrier existing as between the first and second divisions of the service be removed, the board recognises that in a classified service, such as that of the Railway- Department, specialisation of duties commences from the beginning of a member's service, core espeeiaUy as between the work of the first and second divisions. , It was therefore apparent that any scheme for modifying the conditions pn which promotion could be made from the first to the second division must necessarily apply to juniors. The boaTd . did not suggest that the general nature I i[ and standard of the examination should be altered in the direction of reducing its value as a test, but thought the matter of providing further facilities for members to qualify for promotion was worthy of consideration, and should he referred to a special ecommittce representative of the Department and the A.S.R.S. Disputes. The Board did not think that where ; disputes arose between the, Society and Railway Department they should be I referred to an independent tribunal •'consisting of equal representation from the Department and Society, but with one dissentient (Mr. Mason) recommended the setting up of a board from time to time to consider any matters referred to it. • It is also recommended that the proportion of apprentices to' journeymen , in the railway workshops, be increased, hut is no case is the proportion to exceed that allowed in Arbitration Court awards, or orders made under the ' -Apprentices Act. No Recommendation. In the. following claims made by the | A.S.R.S. the Board had no rccommenda- § tion to make:—Daily pay dockets showing how wages are - computed; that leading hands in large yards be paid Od per day extra; that men classified as "other leading hands" be paid 6d per day extra; that time worked on Departmental holidays be, not used in computing the week's pay; that hours and conditions of railway refreshment-rooms staffs be reviewed; that the Minister's veto in connection with the findings of the Railway Appeal Board be abolished; that any member who has been fined _2 or less be permitted to have his case heard by the Railway Board of Appeal, provided he deposits £10 as evidence of good faith; that all casuals have the same right of appeal as other •'-- members of the service: that all members he granted the right of retiring on superannuation after 35 years' service, I or on attaining the age of 55 years; that, as the wages of employees depend largely upon the profits earned by the Department, the members of the •second division be given some representation in the management thereof; that the duties of night-watchmen throughout the service be defined. I The report concludes with the state- : ment that while not necessarily unanimous on every item, the Board is able to report as a whole without recording individual expressions or dissent. The Majority Report. \ I The report of the majority Of the Board, signed by his Honor Mr. Justice Frazer and Messrs. Mason and Scott, the recommendations of which have been accepted by the Government deals *vith the rates of pay and conditions of ■work, including hours. __ i

Two Alternatives. Il On the all-important questions of pay • | and hours the A.S.R.S. asked for a 44- ! hours week, without any reduction in ' the present weekly rates of pay. The ' report of the Board states that with | one dissentient (Mr. Mason) it recom- j mended that locomotive, signalling- and ' maintenance workshops employee's' be '. ' given tho choice of two alternatives (a) j' a 44-hours' week, with overtime at rate !• and a half for all time worked in excess I' of eight hours worked on each of five.!' days and four hours on Saturday, the !'■ hourly rates to remain as at present, I and a guarantee to be given of 44 hours' ' pay weekly, or (b) a 48 hours' week with overtime at rate and a half for all time worked in excess of eight and three-quarter hours on five days and ' four hours and a quarter on Saturday, [ i the hourly rates of pay to remain as at 11 present, and a guarantee to be given of j i 48 hours' pay weekly. , The report recommended that a secret i ballot of the men concerned be taken i a,s early as possible under the super- • vision of the Department of Labour. i A 48-hour week at the present wage . is recommended for permanent way , men, with payment for travelling time , at the ordinary schedule rate. For the , traffic and stores staffs a 48-hour week j, is recommended, but no night rates are \] payable. Board's Comments. . 1 In extensive comment regarding • ' matters covered by the recommendations the Board expressed the opinion that a 48-hour week was necessary to I, ensure efficiency in the branches of the !' railway service coming within the scope j' of the inquiry, with the possible excep- J tion of the workshops and works staffs, j' Mr. Mason did not subscribe to this '' opinion. For several years the Court 11 of Arbitration had fixed a 44-hour week ; I for workers where the work was of a, < continuously strenuous nature, and aj I 48-hour week for other workers. Out- j j side the workshops nnd works staU's ! i the railway employees with whom the j i Board was concerned came within the I • latter category. The report of the 11 majority of the Board expressed the |; opinon that payment of overtime rates | j in respect of all time on duty in excess , of eight hours in any day was un- j warranted, and pointed out that over- , time rates were payable only in respect ] of time worked in excess of the numbe-r ] of hours fixed as the daily limit, or out- .; side the span of hours during which the ■ day's work was to be performed. In } fixing a daily limit of 10 hours for the \ traffic and stores staffs this was considered reasonable in view of the conditions of ■ railway work. The provision of a 48-hour week, with overtime rates for time worked in excess of 10 hours in any day, or of 48 hours in any week, safeguarded the employee against being j required to work without overtime payment longer than the average of eight hours daily. An exact eight-hour day was unworkable in a transport - service ' such as the railway service. Hence overtime Tates should be paid only for time worked in excess of 48 hours weekly. night Rate Compensation. The report of the majority of the : Board recomended the discontinuance ; of the payment of a special night rate, as it was not customary to pay over- ; time rates to workers outside the railway service for shift work that had to be performed all round the clock. The wage fixed for these workers covered an allowance for the necessary condi- ' tions of their employment. The Board, however, recommended an increase of the general overtime rate from rate and ' a quarter on 44-48ths of schedule rates to Tate and a half on the full schedule ! rates of pay. This was a compensation to the men for the withdrawal of the night Tate. • Wages and Conditions. The report goes on to say that no body of hourly or daily workers outside the railway service possessed such advantages as payment for public holidays on which no work wa3 done, annual leave on full' pay, free passes, privilege tickets, a liberal superannuation scheme, and, above all. continuity of employment and a guaranteed week's pay each week. The present minimum rate of 1/9 34-44 per hour represented , an increase of 61.2 per cent over the minimum rate of 1914, and, with the value of concessions, etc., placed the railway workers on a better - standard j than in pre-war years. An examination ! of the classified rates showed that they I were higher than the corresponding! minimum rates of the Court of Arbitra-. tion, and are probably as high as, if not higher than the general level «of wages prevailing in industries governed by awards of the Court. For these,. and other reasons given in the report, and having regard to improved conditions granted Bince 1914. the Board found ( [itself unable to. recommend the granting of an increase in the hourly rates of wages. In a separate memorandum Mr. i Mason explains that,he dissents from the recommendation that a secret i ballot should be taken on the question I of whether tbe men desire to work a * 48' or 44 hours' week.