RAILWAY OFFICERS' CONDITIONS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21908, 8 October 1936, Page 16

RAILWAY OFFICER S' CONDITIONS

TO THE EDITOR Or THE PRESS. Sir, —As a member of the Railway Ofiicers’ Institute, I should like to say that the statement of the’ Dominion executive to the effect that serious dissatisfaction exists amongst railway officers because of the differential treatment accorded them during the transitory period after the introduction of the 40-hour week, is, to my mind, grossly exaggerated. The position is that the clerical branch is seriously understaffed at the present time, and, until the cadets at present being trained are capable of filling positions, there is not much chance of the 40-hour week becoming universal for the first division. The Minister has stated that it is not the intention of the Government to pay overtime to members of the clerical branch, and has urged that the men have patience. Surely, unless the executive has deep reasons of its own for stirring up strife and harassing the Government, it would be more loyal to the department at the present time if it decided to let the matter drop. The second division members may be receiving payment for overtime, but, in many other ways, their conditions of employment are much less favourable than those of the clerical branch. In raising the old and jealous issue of first versus second division .just at present, the Dominion executive is, in my opinion, showing itself in a very unfavourable light. If the Minister were to act in a manner which the executive would be compelled to acknowledge as consistent, he could quite easily reduce the 21 days’ annual leave of the clerical branch to the six ( which are enjoyed by the rest of the service.—Yours, etc., RAILWAY OFFICER. October 6, 1936. i