TRAMWAY WORKERS PAY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 290, 27 August 1918, Page 6

TRAMWAY WORKERS PAY

A PROPOSED BONUS

DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN SINGLE AND

MARRIED MEN

ACTION. POSTPONED

At the.fortnightly meeting of . the City Council held last evening the matter of granting an increaso to certain of the tramway employees came up in. tho form of the following recommendation from the Tramways Committee:— That an incroaso of ss. per week be p/iitt during the pleasure of tho council by way of bonus to tho tramway employees (married men only) affected by the Tramways' Union award, and also to tramway inspectors. Tho conditiojis of the award are not to bo interfered with by reason of this bonus.

The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) said that the deputation which had waited upon the council a fortnight ;rgo had ■made a request for increased wages on the grounds that suilicicnt payment was jiot made 'for their services, and owing to the increased cost of living. The increased cost </i living affected everyone, those who rode in the cars as well as those who looked after them. Still, it was a matter they had to deal with in the public interest, outside and beyond the agreement which existed. There had been conferences proposed of those- concerned with tramway dertakings throughout New Zealand, but, in his opinion, it was not desirable to allow their businesses to be run by suclrconferences. If they entered upon any such agreement any little disturbance in Wangamii,liiverca?gill, or ay place where there were tramways, would bring Wellington into the vortex of the disagreement. He thought they were sufficiently skilled in municipal government to do tho work without taking the advice of others. On the technical side it was different, as in conferences- of engineers, etc., n, lot might be learned one from the other; but when it came to a Dolicy concerning the conditions of running and payment of. wages they were best left to themselves. In cousideriiiE the Question of increased, pay they* recognised that if one section of the service mridn demands other sections might clamour for more. The council had agreed that £3 per week should be tho minimum pay tror their employees. The committee were faced with the question as to whether they should take a broad view of tho situation or tell tho men that they had not made out a sufficiently good case. Frankly, lie said that whatever was tho remedy, tho award (which does not expire until October, 19]9) should not be reopened. Conditions would bo disturbed and great''difficulties, would arise if the wyard wore set aside. So the committee had decided to recommend to tho council that a grant ba made to married men of os. per week by way of bonus durihg tho pleasure of tho council. That would enable married men to get_ along much better. A lot °f critics living.in homes of tho very best class should take a look inside >ome of the homos of these men with fivo or six children. The effect of the bonus might be tlrat married men would flock to tho tramways, and the sooner they got married men to tako up such duties the better. The matter had taken up a lot off the committee's tirno, and ho thought the council could bo assured that, in a question of such great public interest, they would not bo surrendering any of their principles, and that the proposed concession was made as men with wives and children did need more than they were getting.

Councillor W. H. P. Barber said that surely if a company such an the- (me m Auckland' could pay more '.vagos. the council could pay as much, if not mors. ,He lioned that the men would accopt the offer madefy the committee, and so settle the wages question until the awar ( d expired. Whilst Councillor J. Castle approved of settling the trouble as best they could, lie pointed out that a distinction was being made between married and single men, but no distinction was being made between the married mnn with six children and the married man without any children. Ho*-suggested a different war bonus for each child. The Mayor said that a single man supporting a mother or sister would rank as a married man.

Councillor J. 0. Shorland thought there was something in what Councillor Castle, said. The employee with large family felt the increases more tnan one with a email family. Hβ scarcely thought the proposal would be generally acceptable to the men. Councillor W. Hildreth said that half the men in the service were single men. •This ss. was really a charitable bequest—one made not for services rc-n----dered. It was against the principle, o't eqjial pay for equal work, and would Tesult in the service seething with dis'content. He was only' pointing out difficulties that might arise. The Mayor said it was better to get the married men attached to the service, instead of those floating (single) roen. ' '

Councillor Hildreth said he would support the recommendation, but had little faith in the result.

. Councillor J. E. Fitzgerald said that i". was not a case of equal pay for equal work. It was a war measure, if there were any merit in the proposal put forward by the committee, there ras equal merit in tho proposal put forward by Councillor Castle, for if a married man's obligations wore greater than those of a single man, 'surely those of a man with five or six children wero greater than those riif a man with one or two. Tho recommendation was bristling with anomalies from beginning to end, and he- would like ii referred back to the committee. , Councillor Luckie: "Will you proraise to be thore?"

Councillor Fitzgerald: "Yes, I promise." C'ontimiirJg, he said that tho .tramway men were not receiving sufficient to keep thorn under present conditions. Councillor Barber had pointed out that Wellington was the dearest city to live in in New Zealand, and on their organisation ajid boasted methods of running the tramways they should be in the position to give their men a fair dual. After hearing the deputation, he came to the conclusion that tho men were deserving more than thoy wore getting, and certainly married men deserved more than they were offering them. Councillor Luclrie pointed out that they were giving the men a most direct reply. Their application was made on tho score of the increased cost of living—the cost of living to a man with three children. Tho offer was an exact compliance with their. request. Councillor Luckie said he would like to draw attention to what was a precedent in receiving a deputation in open council, instead of referring it to tho committee. It nlaeed councillors in tho possible position of haying to attack tho wages of their own employees The result of that tactical blunder would be thai every branch of tho service- could ask to air the whole of their grievances in the Press, practically in pamphlet form, before councillors had time to consider them at all. It did not seem to him a wise departure. Referring to the comparison with Auckland, ho said that the company thero had 30,000 more inhabitants to .trade with, they had the

broad gauge, and could carry from 20 to yO per cent, jnoi'e people in thoir cars than was tho case in Wellington. The company's expenditure was less, and consequently its earning power was much higher. Tho company did not keep their cars so well, nor did they light them as well as tboy did in Wellington, aud, consequently tho services were- run at loss expense per car. Councillor 0. B. Norwood said there was a principle involved, and the less they considered the charitable side and viewed it as a hard and fast business concern tho better. If, a rise in salaries was contemplated it should ho considered in a straightforward business sense, and,tho wages givon should be for services rendered without any charitablo consideration. If this were not ; dono he foresaw great difficulties. They j had applied themselves to a business undertaking, and it would bo a great mistake to involve a business with a charitable side.' Councillor L. M'Kenzie said it was a matter of dealing with a union, and as a union matter they bad got to treat it. If they did not they would be encouraging men to be less keen in their work. He would like to see the question held "over till another meeting. Councillor R. A. Wright said he was sorry to hear - Jie charity noto struok. It did not app.nr to him in that light at all. If it wis granted, he took it that the fares would go-up all round, but how did they know that the people of Wellington would pay increased faros on top of their other burdens ? Councillor W. 11. Bennett favoured referring the recommend.uio:; back to the committee. Councillor A. !R. Atkinson said that as the Mayor had admitted that single men with mothers and sisters to support would rank as married men, the concession was not one concerning marriage as dependants, and the jocose remark made about a sliding Eealo was the whole cssonce of the matter. Councillor Wright had said that they should pay more, but could not pfford it—in other words, he had said that they were too poor to be just. The council would be taking a gr.u-e risk- in putting through tho scheme without tho fullest consideration. He co.ild not see how the piineiple of their proposed action could be thrown orev when tho war was over, as tlie esseitials of life to married and single men would still depend on the nrice of bread and coals, and for years after the war such things might not recede in pries. He moved that the clause be referred hack. Councillor Thompson seconded the motion. The motion was not put, but discussion was resumed later in committee, nnd it was then decided to postpone action until the next meeting of tho council.