THE TRAMWAY SERVICE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13333, 27 January 1909, Page 7

THE TRAMWAY SERVICE.

CONDITIONS OF I-MTLOYMENT. PROBABLE APPEAL TO CONCILIATION COUNCIL. The industrial agreement between the Christchurch Tramway Employees' Industrial Union of Workers and the Christchurch Tramway Board in reference- to wages and conditions of employment expired early in December last year. It appears, from enquiries made by a "Press" reporter yesterday, that neither the Board nor tho. Union were prepared to renew tho agreement without _jino cousidorablo alter&tiom. Several conferences between representatives of tho parties have been held, but up to the present no settlement has been arrived at. Indeed, it is practically certain that the Board and Union will not agree, and that the Union will bring a dispute before th© Conciliatioa Council. The wages demaudod by tho Union are:-Mote ruion Is l_d per hour, student conductors 9d; conductors : first six months 10_d, after six and up to twelve months lid, after twelve and up to twenty-lour montlis llid, aftor twenty-lour months Is; car equipment adjusters Is ljd, car cleaners and greasers Is. leaning linemen Is 3d, assisting linemen Is lid, track clconori and _._-neral labourers Is, permanent way men l s lid, horse drivers Is. Student conductors to receive 10_d per nour within threo months after entering the service, or, if found iiicompet out after the expiry of three months. to bo dismissed. Permanent way men to be paid for travelling time to and from work, m excess of half an hour each way at ordinary rate of pay. The Board to and all tools and to suppg the men with passes for travelling & to rcooivo 1_ The. reporter interviewed Mr R. T. Bailey secretary of the Union, in regard to tho terms of the wggcotad agreonie.it submitted by the Union. Mr Bailey said that the schedule of wages showed an increase to motormen of l.d per hour. Tho Union proposed » graduated scale of pay to conductors, which, after two years, would take a conductor's pay up to 1_ per hour. In, regard to tho houra of work, the proposal of the Union was that the hours for all employees, exoepfc student conductors, should be eight hours per day on six days of -the week, but the Board should have the right to call upon tho men to work an additional hour, when necessary, at tho ordinary rate of pay. Motormenand conductors to work on alternate Sundays. All time worked over and above nine hours per day on week days t° «» P„ aid for at time and a-half rates, and all time worked on Sundays, Christmas Day and Good Friday to be paid for at double rates. Mr Bailey said that the old agreement stipulated for nine hours a day. The old systom had worked very unsatisfactorily. In several cases which had oome under his notice it had taken men eight or nine hours to get in four hours? work a day, owing to the system of going off and coming on later in the day. It was not a fair thing to be practjc*_y on duty for eight hours, and get only four hours' pay." The Union OT_ctically asked for an eight hour-.' day, the men to work eight hours without intermission, and carry their lnnob with them. It was not a pr_otic_> which they altogether approved of, but it would bo pretty hard to break _ man's shift for half an hour. In r_» gard to double -time on Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Sundays, that wm ' already in vogue, but the Board ohm jected to renew it as far as Sunday* were concerned. Tho Board reckoned . that tho Sunday traffic did) not pay, and they were offering only time and a-half for it. \ -■ The eonditiona asked by the men fc», regard to "travelling time" are that' motormen and conductors nhall sign on ' , ten minutes before taking on their v . cars, <uid they also shall bo alkrwed ' ten minutes after leaving the—» cars; - but these time allowances shall not bo made moro than once in any one day. . ,-, All men in uniform, or-carrying rtm_o> to be provided- for that purpose, shall bo be allowed to travel free while _©- - V ing to or coming from-work. Mr Bailey said that tho Board proposed to discontinue paying for travel- •,' ling time, for which the men wero paid undfcr the old agreement. Tbo time ' was occupied- by a man walking from his ©ar, from the place at which ho was relieved 1 , to -the offices to h_n_i ia his bag. If the change were effected at the power houso there would be practically no travelKieg time, as tho mert would board and' leavo their car* thero. As to tho passes, the men were only . asking a privilege e_ready enjoyedi byother departments of the Board _ staff, and'there wore conditions which would protect tho privilege from abuse. Other conditions aro that all employees required to wear -uniform, ir«- ', eluding overcoat and oilskin*, _____ be supplied with same free of oust. Con- " , ductors shall bo notified of alt shortages within 24 hours after cashing up. Not, less than one week's notice or termination of engagement shaE bo given, by'tho Board or tbe employees l , but* this shall not; prevent tho Board from j auy employee for good | cause, subject in all cases to tho _ci cision of an Appeal Board. | An important proposal regardinsj tho i constitution of a "Board- of Appeal" is made. The clause readb as follow-.; [ —'There shall be a Hoard of Appeal., consisting of three momibers of the Tramway Board', who are not on tho Staff Committee, to be appointed by the Board, and two repreeontativea of the Union to be appointed by tho Union, who shall hear and deckle upo— i all appeals lodged by employees against decisions, of the Staff Committee. Should any employe© bo suspended or dismissed, through any cause whatever, ho may, if he so desires, apply to the Staff Committee for,' and the Staff Committee shall hold, a fall; enquiry into all the circumstances of the case." The employee in question shall bo present at such enquiry, and shall bo entitled to make statements in his «".«> fence, and produce evidence in support of such statements, and ho —hall receive sufficient notice of tbo date 08 the enquiry to enable him to procure witnesses and such other evidence as ho moy deem necessary. If in tho opinion of the employee conoernedl, the decision of the Staff Carnrnittee is not in accordance with tlie facta of the case as brought out by th© evidence ' tendered, he shall be entitledl to appeal to the Board of Appeal against such decision. Tho Board of Appeal. shall thereupon re-consider the case, ir_ accordance with the evidence piace-ll before the Staff Committee. The employee concerned shall bo present, and entitled to make statements m explanation, but shall not be entitled to 1 produce fresh evidence, and' the Board's eecision shall be final. In- any -_«c where the Board of App*al fails to uphold tho Staff Committee in its decision, the employee concerned shall bo paid in full for tho time he has been, under suspension or dis_iL__J." Tho following clause, relating to "reports," may be read with tho above:—"Any person or persons reporting an employee for any offence involving dismissal, suspension, or loss of standing, shall, if the offence is denied by tho employee, be required to substantiate the report in the presence of an officer of the Board and the employee concerned, failing which the employee shall be completely exonerated and tho report destroyed. AU reports must bo in writing and in the hands of a departmental officer within two days of the alleged offence, *nd the employee concerned shall be IKa_^.^#X|

fied thereof within 48 hours, and the enquiry shall bo commenced within Sour days of tbe receipt of the report, Sundays and holidays excluded. Ii the chargo against any employee is not substantiated, or, upon enquiry by tho Staff Committee, proven to oe groundless, all time occupied by the said employee personally reporting to an officer of _io Board, wnen instructed to do bo, shall bo paid for at the ordinary rate of _>ay." Mr Bailey said that tho proposal to set up au Appeal Board was objected to by tho Tramway Board. Under the old " agreement tho Staff Committee held an enquiry, but this was not satisfactory to tbo Onion. As to the reports," tho men -asked, as a matter of justice, that they should bo brought face to face with their accusers, and be frex- to cross-examine them. The clauses in regard to appointments and preterence are fairly comprehensive. Xbey read as follows:— ■'When any appointments are made to the service ot the Board preference shall be given to employees lower in rank in tho department concerned. Vacancies in the rank of motormen shall in all cases be filled from the ranks of conductors holding ticKets of proficiency, length of continuous service to havo prt-terenoe in all cases. For the purpose of promotion all inspectors shall be."deemed to be in the traffic department." "From and after the coming into operation of this agreement all employees mentioned in clause one shall become members of the Union within three months of joining the Board's service, it being agreed that tho entrance fee -ball not exceed 2s 6d, and tho subscription 3d per week. It shall be a condition of employment of all tho said employees that they shall join the Union, and that they shall remain members of the Union. If any one of the said employees neglect to become a member of the Union within the time specified he shall be dismissed. If any employee, boing already a member of the Union, or who shall hereafter, pursuant to tho provisions contained in this clause, become a member of tho Union, should voluntarily and of his own motion resign from the Union, ho shall bo liable to dismissal, and shall receive notice from the secretary of tho Board, or any responsible officer of the Board, that he is so liable, and that unless ho re-join tho Union within one week of the dato of tho notice he will bo dismissed, and, failing to comply with tho terms of tho said notice, ho shall bo dismissed accordingly." On the question of holidays tho Union ask for eight consecutive days on full pay each year.

Mr Bailey stated that several conferences had been held, bul» there had been agreements on only minor matters. The Board desired to hold another conference, and this would be considered at a meeting of the Union to bo held shortly.