RAILWAY WORKSHOP EMPLOYEES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 149, 20 December 1907, Page 8

RAILWAY WORKSHOP EMPLOYEES.

THE VOTE AGAINST ARBITRATION. Surprise has been expressed in cerfoin circles at the result of the poll taken of the Government railway workshops employees on the question of coming under the provisions of tho Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The voting, as reported in yesterday's Post, was 225 for, and 2154 against. Speaking on tho subject to a Post reporter, a rail v. ay official said that personally he was not at all surprised. The clamour for registration was got up by a lew agitators. The majority of the men did not ask for it. The last time that a similar poll was takeji, about six years ago, only five per cent, of the men voted in favour of registration ; this •time five and a half per cont. voted for it. "That goes to prove what I say, that the trouble has been catfsed by a few agitators, and that the men as a body know ! that they are well off." No man with any common sense would, the official aays, want to give up the existing arrangements and come under the Arbitration Act. The men know, notwithstanding anything that may be said to the contrary, that considering all things, they are far better off under classification than they would be under arbitration. Now they get quarter fares at ordinary times, free passes during tha holidays, and other privileges. They would get none of those things under arbitration. The circular issued by the department in connection with the poll, and freely circulated in the various workshops, was os fellows :—: — ".The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1905. — IL having' been represented to the Government that there is a desire among tho operatives employed in the railway workshops to be brought under the provisions of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1905, it has been decided to take a vote of the members concerned in order to ascertain definitely their wishes in the rr.attsr. Copies of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1905, have been sent to each local officer, and are svailablo for the perusal of workmen, who should apply to their local officer for information on any points that are not clearly understood before voting on the question at issue. For the guidance of those concerned, I desire to explain that in the event of the operatives electing to remain subject to the Government Railways Department Classification Act, and regulations made thereunder, they will retain tha privileges granted thereunder, viz., leave of absence, passes, privilege tickets, and other concessions. If, on the other hand,' a majority express a desire to be brought under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1905, they cannot, of course, remain under two Acts, and whatever privileges they now possess under the Government Railways Department Classification Act must 'necessarily cease, and their rates of pay and privileges will be determined in accordance with the provisions of tho Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act', 1905, and in exactly tho same manner as if they were under private employers.— T. KONAYNE, General Manager, N.Z. Railways. Wellington, 26th November, 1907."