Transport Board Refuses Margin

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32354, 21 July 1970, Page 1

Transport Board Refuses Margin

The Christchurch Transport Board has refused to pay its drivers a local wage margin of 7c an hour above the recently negotiated wage settlement.

The board refused the increase on the recommendation of the finance committee on the ground that there was no ease for it.

The board’s decision was opposed by Mr R. H. Stillwell who moved an amendment that the board pay a margin of 5c an hour.

He said the six pages of submissions covered in detail all aspects of the onerous driving which he thought justified a margin equal to that paid tn Auckland and Wellington. “The union is not asking for a big amount They would be satisfied with 5c to bring them up to $1.18,” he said.

“May 1 emphasise that this amounts to a pittance compared with what we pay our top executive officers,” he said.

Mr D. A. R. Mcßeth said he considered bus drivers had an armchair ride around Christchurch. “1 don’t think there is any risk—less risk than for any other driver on the road,” he said.

Mr W. R. Campbell said the board was in a responsible position and could not spend other people’s money at will

The chairman (Mr J. R. Smith) said the drivers had had a 12c increase last May, bringing their pay up to $1.13 an hour. The amendment was lost

Mr Stillwell voted against a motion to adopt a staff grading system similar to that used in the Public Service and other local bodies and agreement that salary increases be granted to align them with increases granted to other public authorities since 1868.