TRAMWAY EMPLOYEES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 546, 29 June 1909, Page 7

TRAMWAY EMPLOYEES.

— $ .—.— , . v GRIEVANCES DISCUSSED. A DEPUTATION TO THE TRAMWAYS ' ; ' COMMITTEE. A deputation of dissatisfied tramway omploytes advanced on .tho Tramways Committee of the City Council yesterday afternoon and unburdened themselves of a number of grievances which have accumulated during the. past few weeks. The principal points'at issue wero the dismissal'of three different conductors, the matter of conductors having to forward a written report to the Department when they are' Is. or more short paying in on any day, tho. disrating ot two motormen to second-class for alleged •running ahead of the time-table on the Brooklyn section, and the matters of annual holidays and retrenchment. ' In reference to one of the conductors dismissed, it was stated that ho was' put off because of some little altercation' with the cashior who wanted him to report why lie was Is. short in his-payment. Words ousued,- and. as a result tho conductor was S? i . b ? foro . tlw manager and dismissed. Hβ had been in tho service from August 28, lflOo, to June 4 last, and, so far as the Tramways Union could gather, there was nothing against him. As a matter of fact, only six months ago, when ho went on holiday, the electrical engineer gave him an excellent testimonial. The class of certificate given to man leaving .the service was another ground of complaint raised by the secretary of tho union, Air. W; T. Young, on account of the reason for leaving tho service being blank .and tho conduct section also blank. It was urged that only ono inference could-be drawn from these blanks, the dischargo being what was known in tho nautical world as a "deelino to report" discharge. Strong exception was taken to the form. '. ■ n j. The alleged reason for the dismissal of another, conductor, it was stated, was that he issued a "crank" ticket to a passenger. It was urged that .the only mistake he mado was in not taking the passenger's name and address. It was pointed out that passengers frequently /got. their tickets mixed, and carrying, perhaps, several in their ticketpocket produced the wrong one for tho inspector. Again, perhaps, they would drop the ticket and pick another up off the floor. When the inspector wanted to know if the ticket produced was the one given' , by the oonductbr tho holder was usually prepared to swear that ho was right. Tho result was that the conductor was reported and brought before the Department. An illustration was given where a lady on the Karori section purchased a card of tickets. The conductor took one off and gave the lady her check, which she folded up and placed in her bag ■togother with the. tickets. Subsequently the inspector came along, and tho lady produced an old chock, which she averred was tho,one. the conductor had given her. The matter was reported to tho conductor, who, fortunately tor.himself, remembered the incident, and after some trouble prevailed upon-the passenger to produce her bag, in which was round the tmesing check. Tho lady admitted that tho ticket she gave the inspeptor came from tho floor of the car where she imagined she had dropped it. This, it was urged, was generally the explanation of "oronk" tickots, and the conductor was frequently sacrificed by tho passenger. ■ .■'■Aβ,-to holidays, it was pointed out that the agreement between the union and tho Departmont provided that when a man had been 12 continuous months in the service he should recoive eight days' holiday on full pay. It had been found that a good many men ran 14 and 15 months before getting their ■ holidays, and this style of procedure spread over a period of four or five years was, it was urged, seriously against the men. The deputation considered tho abov<i a breach of the agreement, and was its representation's'to the committee in the first place, and asking that the men should get their holidays regularly each year. Failing that, they would have to consider the matter .of citing tho Department for a breach of the agreement. .--.•. .- •; Still another matter, was the question ■ of retrenchment. A number of men were being put. off, and some of them had received two-months'notice to quit. The deputation urged that, if a system of retrenchment was to.be adopted, those who camo in last should be the first, to go. Instead of this being done, it was maintained that some of tho artisans who had been longest in tho service are to be put off, and. men who only joined tho service recently are being retained. •"'.' .

: The deputation urged that two motormen on the Brooklyn line,'who had been reduced, wore not ahead of time-table, as alleged. The man who reported the men was standing at the Albert Hotel terminus, ; and consequently could not seo the cars coming down the • Brooklyn incline. ■ He could Bee the time they arrived at the terminus, but it was urged that there wae a difference of three, minutes between the Brooklyn and Albert Hotel corner clocks. , The question of ■ travelling time when ordered to do a "call back," was also opened. If was pointed out that, under Section 17 of the agreement, all "call back" time should be paid for at schedule overtime rates, and the employee, if ho signed on at other place than his depot, was to be paid hulf-an-;hour's travelling time. Tho deputation lurgecUthat the place where a man signed off was his depot, and consequently, if a man signed off at Thorndon, and was ordered to do a "call hack" from Newtown, he hefd to bo paid half-an-fcour's travelling timo from Thorndon to Newtbwn, in' addition to the overtime for the actual "call back" work. It was pointed out that the Electrical Enginear; had advised the union that he had gone into the matter, and that he was of opinion that", .the clauso was inserted in view of tho erection of additional car sheds. The union, on the other hand, urged that they, were dealing with the present, and not with what was anticipated, even though the question of additional car sheds did arise whpn.the agreement was drawn. ; The. treatment of the clerks in the Traffic Department was also the subject of disoussion. . "..,': .'.'• ; ..'." , ; The committee promised-to look into the points raised, and report to the full council.