TRAMWAYS DISPUTE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1286, 15 November 1911, Page 5

TRAMWAYS DISPUTE.

NEW AGREEMENT. SIGNED BY BOTH PARTIES. WAGES INCREASED. The new tramways agreement has newbeen signed by the assessors for both parties, the Tram ways Union and tho City Council. It will be laid before the City Conncil at its meeting ou Thursday evening next. By tho union it has already beoa approved, One or two small factions among tho men profess to bo dissatisfied with tho new conditions, but it is stated on good authority that 99 per cent, of the tramway employees are satislied with the terms of settlement. There is every reason to.believe, that a full and final settlement of the tramways dispute has'been achieved. The demands of tho men, considered by the Conciliation Council, were on all fours wth the proved Dominion award, drawn up by the Trarawaymcn's Federation. RATES OF PAY. ' Following are the rates of pay und«r \he now agreement:— Motormen. ' First grade (over .7' years' service), Is. 2jd. per hour; seoond grade (over six years and under seven), Is. 2d. per hour"; third grade (over tlvree vears' service and under six), Is. ljtl. per hour; fourth grado (under three years' service), Is. Id. per hour. In all cases "service" means ''service as motormen." Under the existing agreement motormen are'graded in two classes. Firstclass motormen are paid Is. lid. per hour, and second-class motormen Is. Id. per hour. The union demand was that motormen should bo paid as follows:—First vear. Is. I'd.; second year. Is, 2d.:.third year, Is. 2Jd.; over three years' service, Is. 3d. Conductors. ■ The new agreement divides conductors into three grades. Having Ferved over three years they are to be paid is. DM. per hour, if they have served over one and under three years Is. per honr, and if nuder oie year llld. per hour. Under tho present agreement first and second-class conductors are paid Is. en hour, and third-class conductors lljd. per nonr. The nnion demand on behalf of conductors was: .First year. Js. per hour; second year. Is. Old.; third year, Is. Id.; over three years, Is. ljd. , Other Employees. \ Increases in wages wore grouted' the numerous other employees. In the following statement the union demand, otherwise the "Dominion Award," demand, is shown in parentheses, save where the classification differs in the demands and in tho agreement. Car . equipment adjusters are to receive Is. Id. to Is. 2d. instead of Is. Id. (Is. 3d.). Linesmen and power-house leading firemen are to receive Is. 3d. per hour as at present. This tallies with the union demands save that Is. 4Jd. was asked for leading linesmen. Firomen stand at Is. 2d. per hour. Powerhouse greasers are to-get Is. 2Jd. instead of Is. 2d. (Is. 3d.). Permanent way repairers are to get Is. ljd. per hour. At present six permanent way repairers are paid Is. lid. per honr, and tho others Is. por hour (Is. 3d.). Pitmen stand at Is. Id. (Is. ljd.). Emergency linesmen are to receive 7s. Gd. instead of .£3 ss. per week. Pointsmen aro to get £i 17s. 6<L instead of .£2 15s. por week (.£3). Powerhouse trimmers are to get Is. Hd. instead of Is. per hour (lsl 2d.). Trackmen aro to get Is. Id. instead of Is. OJd. per hour (Is. ljd.). Artisans and others working under awards are to be paid their respective award rates of wages. HOURS AND CONDITIONS. As under tho present agreement, motormen and conductors are to work eight hours per day v tho employer' having the right to call for an additional hour's work nt ordinary rates.'. .The conditions-as to hours of other employees continue as in

tho old agreement, save that permanent way repairers aro to be paid time and a half for work (lone between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7.15 a.m. Artisans are to work in accordance with the houre set out in their respective awards.

Power House Work. Under tho heading of "Power House Work," some additional clauses are inserted. When six or raoro boilers aro working an assistant stoker is to bo employed. All men employed at cleaning boilers, blow-down pits, or repairing furnaces aro to bo paid Is. Id. per hour, and inon employed in cleaning economises aro to receive Is. Gd. per hour. One Sunday off once a fortnight is to be granted to firemen and greasers, and they are to receivo two days' notice of the off day. Overtime. As in tho existing agreement, overtime is to bo paid, save in special cases, at the rate of timo and a half up to midnight and double time, thereafter. Overtimo conditions do not apply to employees on night-shift. Double time is to be paid on Good Friday and Christmas Day. A new clause provides that on Christmas Day caw shall bo run to meet trains and steamers, and to provide, as far as practicable, an hourly service on all routes. .A"new clause in regard to travelling provides that a sufficient number of motormen and conductors shall be attached to each car-shed. Men taking over their cars at any place other than the shed are to be paid travelling time.for the journey from the shed to which they are attached to that place. Holidays. Conditions in regard to signing on and off remain practically as at present. The annual holiday of car adjusters—they work on statutory holidays—and cleaners is increased from ten days to twelve. Motormen and conductors are to work on statutory holidays and to have a holiday in each year on lull ordinary pay as follows:—Over three years' service, eight days; over three years and under five, nine days; over five years and under seven, ten days; over seven years' ser-: vice, twelve days. At present motormen and conductors are granted a uniform annual holiday of eight days. The union had asked for annual holidays ranging from eight days to sixteen days, according to length of service. Power-house shift employees are to bo granted holidays as folloiv:—Under three years' service, eight days; over three and under five years, nine days; over five years, ten days. No Spare List. There is to be no "spare list." Conductors entering the service are to bo employed on broken shifts (which may extend over 13 hours ou Saturday and" over 12 hours on other week days), until vacancies occur on straight shifts. First-class conductors duly qualified may be called upon to act as motormen whei required, and they are to take up usually broken shift duty. The principal alteration in the clauses relating to reports against employees by members of the public is that the period in which an employee must be notified of any charge against him is reduced from 43 to 2-1 hours. In cases of serious accidents, where men are not relieved for the purpose, fifteen minutes is to bo allowed lor making out reports. The clauses relating to promotions and to preference of employment to members of the_ Tramways Union, stand unaltered. New clauses provide that motormen and conductors shall be paid for the time they aro waiting while traffic is temporarily suspended, and that, for breach of discipline or other offences, the manager, may, in order to avoid suspension from duty, reduoo a motorman or"conductor to a lower grade, irrespective of years of service.

Terms of Agreement. The agreement is to hold good for a period of three years from the date of its coming into force. It replaces an agreement which was made on Octobar 10 1908, and which was intended to be valid for a period of two years, but has actually remained in force until the present time. t