ELECTRICAL LINESMEN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 48, 25 August 1911, Page 2

ELECTRICAL LINESMEN.

ENGINEER'S REPORT ON DEMANDS. The City Electrical Engineer (Mr. S. Richardson) reported to the City Council last evening on the proposed new agreement with the electrical linesmen. There were two clauses in disputes-wages and Sunday -work. With regard to wages , the recommendation of the Conciliation Council it Connection with the wiremen's wages waß that they should receive 3 s j 4^d- per hour— an increase of £d being allowed, as wiremen are required to pasa an examination in electrical theory and practice and obtain a. license. It was stated that the wages paid in 'Wellington wer© the highest m th« Dominion. In the Original demands the wage aßked for lmesmen i was 3d lees than tor wire' men, thi* being admitted aa a reasonable difference taking into consideration the fact that wiremen wore tradesmen. and linesmen required no technical training. It would thus be seen that in view of the Conciliation Council finding at the present rate of Is 3d per hottr, linesmen were very well paid in Wellington, where, in fact, they Teceived 25 per cent, tnore than in the other centres. Th^ minimum rate of pay for lines-men's assistants who are unskilled labourers was at present Is l£d per Jionr, which was Admittedly a high rats of pay for this class of labour. The proposal to adopt a sliding scale of pay for these men was strongly objected to, and if adopted would lead to endless complications throughout the corporation service. The only Sunday work wa.s in emergency cases, and as the employees got all public and statutory holidays, time fend a-half only should be allowed. He recommended that linesmen be paid a minimum of Is 3d per hour, and that linesmen's assistants be paid & minimum of Is l|d per hour ; that time And a'half be allowed for Sunday work, and' that the preference- clause as recommended by the Conciliation Council be adopted. The report was TefeTted to the Tramways Commit!: c*.