Four Council Traffic Officers Resign

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32127, 24 October 1969, Page 12

Four Council Traffic Officers Resign

Four City Council traffic officers, three with more than 18 years service and the other with 114 years service, have resigned rather than accept the conditions offered by the Ministry of Transport, which will assume control of city traffic on November 1.

They are Traffic Sergeant B. Watson and Traffic Officers E. Birdling, D. D. Beattie and J. E. Pickett.

Traffic Officer Birdling, who joined the staff in September, 1950, said last evening that he had resigned because he did not like the conditions the ministry was offering, especially the 48-hour week over six days. At present he worked a 40-hour week over five days. “Nobody has bothered to tell me specifically in what conditions I would work after the change. What I object to is that though there has been a lot of talk and a suggestion about the supposed conditions which are to be offered to us nobody has produced anything in writing.” Traffic Officer Beattie, with 20 years service, said he would lose too muc'“ in terms of personal liberty. He wanted to have time with his family. Traffic Seergeant Watson, who will complete 20 years service early in December, said he had left because he could not accept ministry conditions. “When I joined li knew I would have to work week-ends, but it was never suggested that I would have to work every week-end,” he said. “My other reason for leaving is that I could not find out exactly what the future held for me. The little I’ve been told does not sat-

isfy me. I think the Government could have bent a little in the take-over to meet our present conditions and terms of employment?” Traffic Officer Pickett, who has 11} years service, said: "What annoys me is that instead of having two days off a week to enjoy my family I may get one day if I’m lucky. I have yet to see in writing any conditions under which I would have been employed.”