BONUS SOUGHT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 241, 12 October 1942, Page 4

BONUS SOUGHT

TRAM EMPLOYEES

LOWEST PAID WORKERS

Discontent among the lower-paid employees of the Auckland Transport □oard was mentioned by a deputation which waitod on the board Lo-day and asked that the 5/ increase granted by an order of the Arbitration Court should apply to all sections of employees in the tram service. Tho deputation represented the branches of the service not receiving bonus.

"Discontent Rife"

secretary of the TraiawayrEmployees' Union, said the Court order. In so far as it applied to the tramways, excluded the lowestpafq, workers, and it was not surprising that discontent should be rife among them. The higher-paid employees, who were receiving the 5/, were definitely in sympathy with the request that the bonus should be made to apply to all. The lower-paid employees felt they were the "Cindexeimr of the service.

JVfuW.Rowe.drew attention to the distinction drawnbetween employees at, the workshops. Men on night shftt received the 5/, but those on the day shift did not. Mr. H. A. Anderson (a member of the board) said the board was acting within the terms of the Court order. "Suppose the board said, 'All right, ail the employees will be paid the 5/ bona*,' and then the Government auditor comes along and says we cannot do it. What is the position? Whether wa are sympathetic or not, ca» we do ask 1" Me. Hackett: The position has caused discontent throughout the service. It may surprise you to know men have come to me and suggested dawning tools. The sympathy o£,'the 800 employees receiving the 5/ not receiving tt. Mb. Anderson: Have you no retonne to the Court to have the judgment reviewed? Me. Hacket: No.

The Chairman, Mr. J. Sayegh: I am£pnre you realise that the . board defUVBS to do the fair thing by everybody. AH members desire harmony in the service.

Ruling to be Obtained

Afterother members of the deputation had spoken and withdrawn from the meeting. Mr. Anderson said the first question was whether the board had any right to do what the deputation asked, even if it felt like doing so. "I think," he added, "we should obtain the opinion, of the AuditorGeneral whether, in face of the Court order, the board could make the 5/ bonus apply to all employees concerned."

Mr, W. H. Nagle supported Mr. Anderson. If the Auditor-General ruled that no departure should be made from the Court order then that ended the matter, but if the opinion was that the board could act, then the board should face up to the question.

It was decided to obtain - the opinion of the Auditor-General and upon receipt of his ruling to immediately call u meeting of the board.

PAY OF FOREMEN

SUGGESTION OF INEQUALITY

Stating that the "inequality of wage" by which the respective foremen of the armature winders, blacksmiths, paintshop. truckshop and woodshop are paid a few shillings less per week than the foreman of the engineer's shop is a burning question with members, the secretary of the Auckland Transport Board's Maintenance Officers' I'nion in a letter to the board to-day asked that the unfair and unjust discrimination against, skilled and experienced tradesmen he considered. The matter of remedying this unfair inequality was relegated to two or three assessors along with the other clauses that constituted an industrial agreement when it received scant consideration in the final settlement, it was stated.

Mr. W. H. Nagle said the hoard set up five assessors, not two or three, and so far from matters receiving scant consideration, they received lengthy consideration, and were subject ot a report.

It was decided to refer the matter to the assessors for a report.