WELLINGTON FIREMEN

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 153, 25 March 1938, Page 6

WELLINGTON FIREMEN

Hearing Of Application For New Award Begun in 1936, when agreement was reached on several of the clauses, the hearing of the application of the employees of the Wellington Fire Board for a new award was continued in Conciliation Council, Wellington, yesterday. Mr. M. J. Reardon, Conciliation Commissioner, presided. The assessors for the applicants were Messrs. J. A. Dale, F. O. Remy, E. A. Weakley, and-L. Glover (agent), and for the board Messrs. Fairchild, N. W. Nelson, W, J. Gaudin, G. C. Edwards, and W. J. Mountjoy (agent). The union’s proposals as to wages included the following: Probationers, £4/2/2, ranging to £5/5/- for class brigadesmen; foreman, £5/15/-; station officer, £6/5/-; senior station officer, £6/15/-; district officer, £7/5/-; watchroom attendants £2/10/- to iA.1‘2.1‘2. with 2/6 extra for special motor and mechanical work. The counter-proposals ranged from £3/9/6 for probationers to £4/10/- for senior firemen, and for other employees the offers were: Watchroom attendants, starting at 15/- a week and rising by half-yearly increases of 4/- a week to £2; motor-drivers requiring to do mechanical work, 2/6 extra for each week so employed; firemen who act as motordrivers and mechanics, 2/6 a week extra.

A house allowance of £l/2/6 for married' men without quarters was agreed to. No agreement was reached on a suggestion by the applicants that a fireman relieving another of higher qualifications should receive the rate of pay of the man he relieved. It was agreed that firemen could be called on to do necessary work on Sunday, the time not to exceed half an hour.

It was stated that there was no chance of the board agreeing on wages on the applicants’ classification. There was agreement on several clauses relating to conditions.

It was decided that two assessors on each side should meet on Monday morning to see on what other points agreement could be reached.