SICK BENEFIT

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 189, 12 May 1928, Page 10

SICK BENEFIT

# . NATIONAL RAILWAY SCHEME *

“DEPARTMENT’S CONSTANT GENEROSITY”

Railwaymen of the Second Division have recently balloted on the question of adopting alternative proposals as a basis for a national sick benefit scheme in their service, carrying a departmental subsidy of £1 for £1 up to £BOOO annually. Tlie result of the plebiscite is now available. It was indicated by the Railway Board that the ballot would be a test of men’s interest in the matter, and the number of voting papers'returned would enable it to decide whether it was desirable to proceed with the scheme. As 9658 railwaymen have voted it is fairly safe to suggest that the provisional committee which prepared the plans of organisation will be required to formulate them in greater detail. The Scheme Favoured. The proposed contribution is 2s. Cd. per four weeks, and two proposals were submitted to the vote. The first

was that the funds be applied wholly to the payment of benefits to members unable to work as a result of sickness or injury, who are not in receipt of workers’ compensation. This received the overwhelming proportion of votes, (he total being 8400. The alternative, which received 1258 votes, was that the funds be applied partly in sick benefit and partly to the payment of an allowance not exceeding 15s. weekly to members in receipt of workers’ compensation. The accepted scheme is expected to provide a sick benefit of £2 ss. weekly. It was strongly recommended by the provisional committee, which pointed out that accident pay now equals twothirds of the weekly earnings, but for every day lost, as a result of accident sustained on duty, three days are lost, owing to sickness or accident sustained off duty. Compounding Compassionate Allowances. The official journal of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants in commending the sick benefit scheme, declared it as only another step in the development of improved industrial rolnflnns. “The basic warm. man in

relations. “The basic wage man m particular imperatively needs extra help when he meets with sickness or accident,” states the journal, “and the national fund proposes to give this assistance in a systematic way.

The Railway Department has shown constant generosity in meeting exceptional eases of distress by the payment of individual compassionate allowances, thus following the precedent of many liberal employers. “It is understood that when the national sick benefit fund is operating there will be no call on the department for these grants; therefore the sub•sidy up to £BOOO per annum, not from the taxpayer, but from railway revenue, may be regarded as compounding the compassionate allowances.”