RAILWAY CLASSIFICATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 298, 10 September 1908, Page 6

RAILWAY CLASSIFICATION.

DISCONTENT AMONG- SHUNTERS. (by telegram—press association.) . Christchuroh, September 9L Tho operation of the last railway classification . scheme is causing considerable discontent among shunters ,of the lower grade. A, meeting was recently held at Auckland with the object of endeavouring to obtain amelioration in the conditions, of that.branch of the service, and action in the same direction, is also being, taken by the .shunters here. A ''Truth" representative,'who instituted inquiries •as to- the grievances of the men, was informed that the position at Cliristchurcli is muck worse than' at Auckland. It seems that the last Classification Act abolished tho third grade of shunters and tho men in the grade at the time the Act came into operation, and who in most cases had been doing shunting work for a considerable time past were reduced in status to acting shunters or porters. The eonsequenco is that out of 15 men doing tho. shunting work in tho yard only four are' classed as shunters, two being 'in the' first grade and two in tho second, while the remaining eleven are out of tho grade altogether. As far as pay is concerned there is no difference, between that of a; third grade shunter and tho present acting" shunter, or porter, but tho point is that a third grade shunter, being in the grade, would get promotion automatically according to length of service, whereas the others outside tho grade have to wait for promotion until a vacancy occurs in the grade, and then to take, their chance of being selected to fill tho vacancy. This is the chief complaint of the men who havo been reduced to tho status of acting shunter or porter by tho abolition of the third grade, that they have lost the right of promotion. It was also stated that under the present system ordinary labourers taken into tho service received the samo pay as men who had been engaged in shunting work for years past, and stood the samo chance of promotion. Strong complaints were also mado regarding the difficultyl in carrying out shunting work at Cliristchurcli owing to the smallness of the yard. "The yard is not half big enough," declared one man, "and tho shunters have to suffer, for tlioy cannot help mishaps, and are promptly fined when such occur."