PROTECTION OF "LOYALISTS"

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21257, 31 August 1934, Page 10

PROTECTION OF "LOYALISTS"

l 1 • Tramway Traffic J Staff j appeal to the GOVERNMENT | CONSTITUTION OF APPEAL I BOARD | I It is stated on good authority that the section of the employees of the Christchurch Tramway Board who are known as "loyalists"—those men who carried on the service while a majority of the employees went on strike in May, 1932—have appealed to the Government to take action to see that nothing is done to jeopardise their positions. The Government, is understood to be considering an amendment: in the Tramways Amendment Act which is expected to have the effect of assuring for all employees of the board an absolutely impartial decision in the case of appeals against dismissal and disrating. For some time the "loyalists'' have been apprehensive about their future status. Their apprehension is said to be based on the retirement, through the effluxion of time, of the Hon. W, Hayward, M.L.C., as the representative of the board on the Tramway Appeal Board. When the new Tramway Board came into existence, action was taken which had the; effect of disrating almost all the men who remained in the service ! of the board in its traffic section during the strike. The action had the effect, too. of reducing the pay arid withholding the promotion of most of those men, and of promoting all the men whose services were terminated by the oid board after the strike, but who were subsequently re-employed. Some of the loyalists 'hus affected appealed to the Tramway Appeal Board and the appeal in each ease (there were 2'.'> > was allowed. An alteration in the personnel of the Appeal Board is normally expected in January after the retirement of Mr J lay ward, and the loyalists are stated tu fx afraid that the new member appointed by the Christchurch Tramway Board may give the Appeal Board a majority ■'< presentation against j their inlerists. |

New Constitution'.' Ti; prevent such a development the nnMi affected appealed to members of (lie Cabinet and other influential authorities, and are said to have been assured ol support. The suggestion is that the Government will shortly introduce legislation designed to'amend the Tramways Amendment Act. I'JIO, in such a way that the constitution of the Tramway Appeal Board will be altered. It is considered that the amended constitution will provide for a new tribunal, witli n magistrate presiding and deciding the issue, and representatives of the employees and of the board (one from each section), advising him, along the lines of the procedure adopted in the Arbitration Court. Such a constitution would give the pole right of decision on appeals to the presiding magistrate and would, it is claimed, prevent any possibility of the powers of Ihe board coming under the cut ml of any party t act ion "Tense Situation" It is admitted by the board and the men affected that the situation between the beard and the loyalists is now tense. There have been many rumours of possible action on the part of either side in the dispute a dispute now more than two years ok! and yesterday it was freely suggested among a section of the framwaymen that the board intended to la,l;e the drastic step of dismissing all members of the trailie stall, including the drivers of trolley-buses, and offering them re-engagement. The suggestion made by some of the men was Lhat by such a step it would be possible for the board to weed out from the staff the section of loyalists ami so eliminate the friction whien exists in the service between the loyalists and the strikers of 1932. That there was any foundation fortius rumour was strongly denied by the chairman of the board (Mr J. K. Archer), when it was referred to him last evening. Mr Archer strongly criticised the attitude of the loyalists. "Such a rumour, or a .suggestion based on it, has never been whispered in my presence," said Mr Archer. "In fact the so-called loyalists have done' everything to make dil'jicuities for the board. If they had accepted the arrangement offered to them about regrading, all their difficulties would have vanished by now and there would have been perfect unity in the staff. By : hauling us before the; Tramway ApJ peal Board on every conceivable occasion they have created a very tense situation. They have actually created a definite cleavage."