£l8,000 Cost Of New Bus Workers’ Award

Press, Volume C, Issue 29469, 22 March 1961, Page 11

£l8,000 Cost Of New Bus Workers’ Award

It will cost the Christchurch Transport Board about £lB,OOO a year to meet s the extra costs of the new a transport award made by the . Arbitration Court. f As soon as full details of 1 the Court’s award were rea ceived. a more detailed estis mate would be presented for the information of members, the general manager (Mr J. j F. Fardell) reported to a e meeting of the works and a traffic committee. “Didn’t the employers offer the employees 7s Id an hour all-in?” asked Mr . N. R. Forbes. Mr Fardell: Yes. t. Operators had been receiving 6s lljd an hour, explained Mr Fardell. The Court ; had now “cut out” the cate- [. gory and substituted in the ■ . award that drivers of buses \ and omnibuses be paid ; 6s lid an hour, those employees doing the work of an

operator to get 4d an hour extra. Mr Forbes: So the workers get less. In addition to the wages, 1 6d an hour was to be paid for shift work, said Mr Far- ' dell. Mr H. E. Denton: I don’t think we can discuss the ' matter at this juncture. It • seems to me—l might be wrong—that the offer made > to the employees in concilial tion was equal to the rates awarded by the Arbitration 1 Court. Because, as Mr Fardell had ' reported, full details were not available, it would be futile for the committee to ■ discuss the award, said Mr ■ J. Shankland, jun. On Mr Shankland’s ■ motion, the board agreed to ■ accept the information in Mr ■ Fardell’s report. Fever is only a symptom. : and we are not sure that it is an enemy. Perhaps it is a

riend.—Dr. Eugene F. Du Jois.