FIRE BRIGADES

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 80, 5 April 1938, Page 18

FIRE BRIGADES

OUTSIDE THE CITY

CLAIMS BEFORE THECOURT

HIGHER WAGES ASKED

An industrial dispute between the Wellington Industrial District Fire Brigades Employees' Union and all fire brigades in the district outside of Wellington City was begun yesterday in the Second Court of Arbitration. Mr Justice Hunter presided, and with him were Messrs V. Duff (employers' representative) and A. W. Croskery (employees' representative). The clauses for dispute included wages, certain definitions regarding classification of workers, part-time workers, leave of absence, and the scope and term of the award.

Mr. L. -Glover appeared for the union, and Mr. W. J. Mountjoy for the employers.

Mr. Glover stated that the dispute involved 34 fire'brigades. He asked the Court to take into consideration the special conditions and the discipline under which the men lived and worked. A minimum payment of £4 2s ,2d per week*, with a proportionate increase according to skill and service, was justified because a fireman's job was dangerous and called for skill, intelligence above the average, and first-class physical fitness.. This and ;the long hours produced suspense and strain. The men were confined to the station for a continuous period of at least 96 hours at a time, and vfero then allowed 24 hours' leave of absence. ■ This process went on-fqr 5i months, when they were entitled to their: leave.; off duty.

PLATOON SYSTEM.

Members of the union favoured the platoon system of _ shifts, as in operation in many other countries. If the boards argued that the provision of accommodation for men on the premises should be taken into account in wages, it could be pointed out that the men were kept there at the convenience of the boards to be ready at all hours should a fire occur. The spirit of the old voluntary brigades had been relegated to the past after the rise of the insurance companies and levying of fire insurance and rates and taxes for the upkeep of fire brigades. The system had become a money-making industry. He asked that the fire-fighters should receive the same wage at least as other similar highly-skilled men.

It was asked that on completion of three years' service one penny per day additional to the minimum should be paid on entering the fourth, and for 1 e&ch succeeding year of service. In I Auckland and in the Australian States I this principle ha"d been adopted with I good resultss and had the effect' of 1 keeping in the employ of the fire'board I many trained experienced fire fighters. lAs the age of retirement of active fire | fighters was early, it would be seen that a lifetime as a fireman left a big gap between his' retiring and the old age pension. A set wage for a watchroom attendant was asked for because of the differences between his position i and that of a youth in ordinary employment. In asking that motor drivers should be, paid 10s j?er week extra, he drew the Court's attention to the fact that a driver when he takes charge of a fire engine in a race to a fire call must know the town, know the shortest and quickest way to get to the fire, must be alert, able to make up his mind in a flash, avoid running down pedestrians, avoid collisions "-with other traffic, and in addition to-all this must carry the responsibility of the lives of the other firemen who are on the engine. Regarding grading, the union contended that the question was not so much one of time as one of ability to learn the job.

PART-TIME FIREMEN.

"This so-called volunteer system is on a par with the compulsion used m military training," said Mr. Glover. "Unless a worker is prepared to offer his services as a fire-fighter, his other job that he performs during the day is not too secure. By these men coming in and signing on during the evening or night, it lessens the chance of permanent men being employed. Where these men are straight out volunteers and do not receive payment.'we do not wish the Court to include them in the award, but where they live on the employers' premises and do not pay rent and receive payment, and where they live off the premises and receive payment as firemen, we say they are following an occupation which is covered by an award, and unfairly compete for a job with the permanent firemen. In the Wellington Industrial District there is a so-called volunteer fireman who receives a wage of £200 per year as well as doing his ottier'job during the day. At Petone a similar set of circumstances obtains, but, with a. smaller

In another clause the workers were, asking that after firemen had put in 72 hours continuously they should have twenty-four hours off duty. This principle had been agreed to in Punedin Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland. In these four cities there were stations which were on all fours, with any of the country town stations, where permanent firemen were employed. If the principle of a forty or a fo'rfy-four hour week is to b<^ob-| served, then these men are entitled to "The extended leave has been given j to"permanent brigadesmen as a result, of the recent legislation of a 40-hour working week," said Mr. Glover. In many other industries work as only performed five days in the ; week,1 leaving Saturday, free. To give bngadesmen the benefit of, the legislation it has been agreed that fifty-six days per year should be given on pay. It may be argued that firemen in the smaller towns do not turn out as often as the men in' the larger towns, as there- are not so many fires in the small towns.' It-is true'that there-are not so many fires in the small towns, but there are less men to do the job. A I fair comparison would be to take, say, a station like Wanganui and compare it with a station such as Constable Street or Brooklyn, and it will be seen that-the: calls are just as ?many. ■ t The men in the outlying stations in the Wellington City receive the fifty-six holidays a year and there are no reasons why every permanent man should not also receive it." ' He gave figures based on conditions in 1930 showing that men employed in the service should get in proportion to labourers from £4 2s 2d per week (probationers), to £5 2s 8d (senior firemen). The claims are from £4 2s 2d in the case of probationers to £6 5s in the case of station officers.

WITNESSES CALLED.

John Anderson Dale, of : Wellington, president of the union, said that he had been employed for between seven and eight years as" a fireman* and was classed as a first-class fireman and driver. The requests of the union regarding wages were fair, because the fireman in permanent employment in a small town had a similar amount of work compared with his fellow in a larger town. They were getting the same until the Wellington board granted a voluntary rise of 5s per week.

''■ Cross-examined by . Mr. Mountjoy, witness said that he considered that part-time workers could be included in the union. There was a clause excluding auxiliary firemen, but the

term "auxiliary" was taken by him to refer only.to those men who were paid "boot and trouser . money." The employment of permanent men in place of part-time-men would entail an increase in expenditure. . Driving in a country town such as Masterton would entail as much responsibility and strain as driving in Wellington.

Ernest Spencer George Hutton, employed at Lower Hutt as fireman and driver, said that two men were employed permanently under a volunteer superintendent. He gave further evidence regarding the operation of the station. \ Cross-examined, witness said he worked from 140 to 160 hours a week, including stand-by duty, and from 8 to 9 hours on other, duties. Fires in the district averaged about one per week.

Evidence was given in the afternoon by Joseph McGrath, motorman mechanic, of Petone; Albert James Bruce Thompson, second class motorman, of Wanganui; and Clifford Edward Dashfield, thud class fireman, of Wanganui.

EMPLOYERS' CAS*E

Mr. Moufctjoy said in his address to the Court that the employers believed that the rates fixed in the Palmerston North city award were fair and reasonable for workers employed under the existing conditions in the various brigades thioughout the district. It must be remembered that Palmerston was a city with a large . population, and this rate might even penalise the smaller brigades.

It would not be fair or just to impose upon the smaller towns in the district the same rates of pay as those fixed for Auckland brigadesmen for the reason that the work was not so difficult, because, the buildings were not, nearly so high, the risk of accident not so great for firemen. Apart from the greater risk and danger and the more hazardous work required of firemen in Auckland as, compared with the smaller towns in this district, consideration should be given to the fact that a fire brigadesman would not be called upon nearly so often in the secondary towns as he would in the more-thickly populated area of the cify of Auckland. ■[■ The applicant union asked that a first-class fireman should bea worker who had completed two years' service, whilst the employers were of the opinion that a first-class fireman v should be a worker who had completed three years' service. The employers objected to any payment of part-time workers being included in the award. It was submitted that a number of Volunteer firemen give their services throughout the Dominion in a public-spirited manner, and that the inclusion of rates of pay for volunteer firemen would, to a large extent, destroy the desire to'render service in the public interest. In opposing the demands of the union for better leave conditions for firemen, Mr. Mountjoy submitted that the leave "given firemen was extensive. Even if the employers' suggestion wereMollowed,- the fire bngadcsr man received 241 hours holiday after every fifth day of employment. To impose a greater amount of leave upon smaller brigades in the Welling-] ton industrial district, which hitherto had not had such a restriction placed upon the employmet of the workers, would be unreasonable and unnecessary. He submitted that the leave granted in the Palmerston North award should not be extended. The applicant union asked for extended leave to be granted to fire brigadesmen to the extent of 28 days on completion of each" five months' continuous service. The employers offered each \vo|ker on completion of six months' continuous service leave of absence without deduction from pay of 14 consecutive days. An kward for a longer period than a year was also asked for by the employers. •

EMPLOYERS' WITNESSES

Cyril Vere Day, secretary of the Palmerston North Fire Board, produced statistics of calls received by his brigade during the past year, and gave evidence regarding the operation of the brigade. JohnT William Andrews, Mayor of Lower Hutt, said that he was appointed by the Municipal Association to represent the association and support the Fire Brigades' Association against any attempt to unionise the volunteer fire, system. A volunteer fireman in his opinion would be any man -who performed the duties of a fireman as a service to the community, whether or not in receipt of some remuneration. During the past twelve months there had only been'three fires where the damage, had been over £20. This was probably due tothe special'attention paid to accumulation of rubbish.

Captain Thomas Joshua Watts, travelling advisory superintendent and secretary of the United Fire Brigades' Association, said that his organisation represented 144 brigades and 2559 firemen. He represented '24 brigades interested in the dispute At the conference 133-brigades were represented, and all were opposed to the volunteers being included in an award. The as-; sociation was' not opposed, however, to the permanent men having a union. David Sloane Night McCartney, in* surance manager, said that he was a member of the Underwriters' Association, and of the Nelson, Wanganui, and New Plymouth Fire Boards. He gave evidence of improvements in conditions under which firemen worked during the past few years. Mr. Mountjoy submitted that the evidence of the union's own witnesses showed that, they had no right to negotiate for auxiliary men. There were no auxiliary men brought by the union as witnesses. Auxiliary or, volunteer firemen did not follow an industrial calling. The employers were not averse to an award governing regular employees.

Mr. , Glover said that the union was not asking for volunteers to be covered, but, where the men were considered part of the brigade, whether full-time or part-time, they .should be covered. Firemen "could not take part in any other social activity, because of, having to be home on most nights. Matters of discipline had nothing to do with the union. He asked the Court not to base "a" fireman's wage on the number of fires he attended, but on the'fact that he, was always there in readiness.' : • ■ ' -

Decision was • reserved-