No Extra Bonus For Bus Drivers

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31151, 30 August 1966, Page 18

No Extra Bonus For Bus Drivers

A request by the Tramway Workers’ Union for an increase in service bonus rates was rejected by the Christchurch Transport Board yesterday.

The board's finance committee r eco m • mended that no alteration be made. This was adopted by five votes to four after rejection of an amendment supported by all four Labour Party members that the Wellington bonus rates be adopted.

The board promised full consideration If the union submitted complete details of difficulties related to conditions of work. The union had said it was concerned about the number of resignations recently and that the hard core of workers was being reduced, the finance committee said.

“It was felt by the union that some incentive should be given which would retain workers with short service,” the committee continued. “The union also considered that some recognition should be given to men with long service. The bonus would need to be worth while, and if bonuses were granted staff would be retained and training costs saved.”

The union had also said that short-service men did not like working spare-list work

on broken shifts, especially the late Saturday ones. The present bonuses were 3s 4d a week after two years’ service and 5s a week after five years, said the E. J. Bradshaw, the chairman of the committee. The union asked for 5s a week after six months, 10s after a year, 15s after five years, £1 after 10 years, and £2 10s after 20 years.

“£B2OO A Year”

“There would be no useful effect unless the increases were very substantial,” he confirmed. “If the increases asked for were granted they would mean a rise of £B2OO a year for the traffic staff, and no doubt there would have to be increases for the clerical and workshop’s staffs.” Traffic-staff resignations had averaged 40 a year for the last few years from a total of 250, Mr Bradshaw said. There was no evidence that this was any greater percentage than that experienced in other industries or business at a time of over-employment. “This is actually an application for a wage increase,” he said. There were some conditions that workers found unacceptable, Mr Bradshaw said. Shift work was inevitable, and if anything could be done to improve conditions then the board would consider it. There should be some hard-and-fast rule among members of the Public Passenger Transport Association on the bonuses to be paid, said Mr H. E. Denton. In Wellington there was £l7 13s a year more after five years’ service; in Christchurch, £l3. “We do not agree with the table put forward by the union,” he said, “but we think there should be uniformity, and propose that the Wellington scale of service bonuses

should be applied to Christchurch.” The average wage payment in Wellington and other places was better than in Christchurch because there were more overtime and penalty payments and better bonus payments, Mr R. Jones said. Loss to North “We talk about losing workers to the North Island.” he continued. 'ls it any wonder when we hold down wages?” He said he had found that a sweeper in an Auckland factory received £2l 10s a week, and a bonus of £2 5s a week. He had no responsibility, and he did not have to contend with traffic hazards, nor did his livelihood depend on his passing an annual medical examination. The ideal situation would be that a person should be able to live on his or her weekly wage and not have to depend on overtime or service bonuses, Mrs L. E. Macfarlane said. Until that came about she thought there should be application of the Wellington bonuses to Christchurch, even though it would mean only a token increase. Mr Bradshaw said that anyone who had lost his driving licence because of a medical examination had always been found another job in the organisation.

There was no uniformity among the main centres on service bonuses, he said. Wellington paid the highest. If the amendment were passed, it would mean that a man in his first and second year would get 3s lOd more a week, in his third year an extra 6d, in his fourth and fifth year 2s 5d more, and in his sixth year Is 9d more. Would anyone suggest that those increases would have any effect on retaining staff” Mr Bradshaw asked.