RAILWAY PROMOTIONS

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 21, 19 October 1944, Page 4

RAILWAY PROMOTIONS

Prospects Of Tradesmen EVIDENCE AT TRIBUNAL The remuneration of railway apprentices and the prospects a journeyman in the employ of the Railways Department has of promotion to a position of foreman, inspector or more senior position occupied the attention of the Railways Industrial Tribunal during most of yes terday’s sittings, at which the reply ol the department to the claims of the Railway Tradesmen’s Association for an increase in wages was continued. The tribunal consists of Mr. Stilwell, S.M., chairman, Mr. E. Casey and Dr. W. B. Sutch. The assessors are Mr. IT. \V. Aickin. representing the department, and Mr. W. J. C. Warrington, representing the R.T.A. Mr. K. G. Reid, advocate for the department with Mr. A. F. Taylor, said that the association’s statement that a firstyear apprentice receivedl £l/8/2 a week after deduction of wages tax and superannuation did not take into account the cost-of-living allowances of 8/9 a week net if he were living away from home and 2/2 a week net if he were living at home.Referring to the association’s estimate that the apprentice would pay £l/12/6 a week board, Mr. Reid said that returns from apprentices in May showed that the average payment for board, lodging, laundry and transport by apprentices living away from home was £l/8/2. The shortage of apprentices in some railway trades would be alleviated by the appointment of approximately 100 ex-servicemen for trade training under the department’s rehabilitation scheme, the majority of whom had already started work. It was not considered there would! be a dearth of apprentices after the war. An apprentice in the railway workshops had definite opportunities for advancement. If he entered' the fitting trade and applied himself to a study of it, his prospects were very good. There were 216 positions of the foreman or inspector type in the locomotive workshops and depots to which an employee with trade qualifications might attain,- with maximum salaries of from £355 to £515. Positions filled by men with trade qualifications included: Workshops superintendent, workshops inspector, workshops engineer, assistant workshops engineer, production oflicer, apprentice instructor, draughtsman, technical assistant and shop equipment officer. Referring to the association’s submission that increases in tradesmen’s remuneration had not kept pace with increases in the remuneration of other railway employees, Mr. Reid said that between 1929 and 1944 tradesmen’s rates had increased more than those of storemen, guards and porters and other employees on a 48-hour week in 1929. Answering Mr. Casey, Mr. Taylor said that had requests by railway tradesmen in 1939 been granted they would be receiving 2/11 an hour. The rate at present was 2/10J, and since 1939 two cost-of-living allowances had been granted. At the request of Mr. Aickin, Mr. Taylor quoted the numbers of foremen, inspectors or sub-foremen and journeymen in each trade and the ratio between them. In the locomotive branch there was one foreman or inspector to 55 permanent fitters or to 10 of the combined permanent and casual fitters. Among the boilermakers the ratios were one to four and one to eight, among the carpenters in tho shons the ratios were one to nine and one to IS, among the moulders one to five and one to 11, among the turners one to 18 and one to 36. and among the coppersmiths one to five and one to nine. Mr. W. Robertson, workshops superintendent, answering Mr. T. F. Gebbie, advocate for the association, said there was a rolling stock programme for at least four years’ work, nnd in addition

there was a heavy vehicle replacement programme which it would take 10 years to complete. That ■would require a considerable amount of skilled labour and it would require the staff to be increased to its 1030 size again. The increase in supervisory officers would not be as great in proportion to the increase in total staff, the numbers of foremen and sub-foremen not having been reduced as much as the numbers of tradesmen. The tribunal adjourned till this morning.