RAILWAY OFFICERS.

Evening Star, Issue 14630, 28 July 1911, Page 9

RAILWAY OFFICERS.

PETITION TO PARLIAMENT. The outcome of the recent annual conference at Dunedin of delegates of the Railway Officers’ Institute, representing tho first grade in the service, is a petition to be presented to Parliament at an early date. The petition opens by asking that positions in the Railway Service which had been reduced in status during the lost few years shall be restored, and that the Act shall be amended so as to provide Unit railway officers (shall not he lees efficiently remunerated than officers of tho Post and Telegraph Department. The paragraph eupportmg this prayer says that, notwithstanding tho fact that traffic on tho railways has increased considerably during tho last few years, the department is ;in many instances requiring officers in the lower grade to perform the duties and accept the responsibilities of officers in. the higher grade at a lower rale of remuneration than is payable in the higher grade; consequently efficient officers of long and faithful service are deprived by the department of the promotion to which they are rightly entitled. This is causing dissatisfaction and unrest amongst the officers, who feel that tho department is not carrying out the spirit and intention of tho Act. Tho arguments adduced at tho conference in support of a request for at least equal treatment to that given to officers of_ the Post and Telegraph Department briefly were : (a) That there is no legitimate reason why the railway officers should bo treated so differently, seeing that they served the same employers; (b) that the duties performed by the railway officers were more onerous and responsible than, those performed by post-id officers; (c) that the hours of dutv are longer, the work more and on those who have tho working of trains as part of their duty tiro continual strain has detrimental effects on the nerves; (d) the very fact that a sligat mistake may lead to an accident, with disastrous results in loss of life, not. consioerinrr damage to expensive rolling stock, causes anxiety which a railway man cannot avoid—tho fact also that any such mistake carries with it a penalty of reduction in grade or loss of position docs not mitigate the anxiety; and (e) a railway officer cannot get away from work or snake oft responsibilities. These responsibilities and trials have not ben reduced by tho safety appliances introduced, inasmuch as they require constant and regular attention, and an officer is on duty practically every minute -each. long day. It was further instanced that many of tho railway officers could take charge of a post and telegraph office without further training, but a postal officer .could not immediately take a railway man's duties. In view of it was argued by the institute that it. might be supposed that a railway officer would at least receive the same rate of pay as a postal officer, have similar chances of promotion, and equal opport unities for recreation ; but the schedules show most clearly that the remuneration and possibilities of advancement compare very unfavorably with those of an officer in the Postal and Telegraph Service. With regard io a statement by the Minister of Railways, that after the railwavs had paid a- certain percentage of profit "he was willing to grant a considerable sum by way of increasing tho pay of the employees, the Institute says that tins is likely to act to the disadvantage of members of tho service, because should tho stipulated profit not he reached members could not expect any promotion. It is further argued by the institute that this practice does not obtain in any other branch of tho Civil Service, as there are branches of the Public Service which do not and aro not expected to fellow a profit. The argument -.hat railway officers receive privileges in the shape of a free pass once a year and privilege tickets an a sot-off against tho advantages of pay enjoyed by other departments is replied to by tho statement that railway officers would willingly forego these privileges for consideration in solid cash, and tho payment of overtime is of equal importance in the opinion of the conference. In regard to ’ho question of statue in the Civil Service was the question ol the fixity of (salary as laid down by the Classification Act during the 19.10 session of Parliament. A clause, which was included in tho Government Railways Amendment Bill, provided that tb© Governor-iu-Councii might “ from time to time, on the recommendation of tho Minister, fix the amount of salary to be. paid to an officer at any sum within the maximum and minimum iim'.ts of the class or grade in which, such officer is placed, and such amount shall be tho salary payable to that officer in respect of the office he holds, without annual increment.’’ This was objected to by members of the institute, on tho grounds that it gave the management power by Order • in-Council to fix the salaries payable to officers at any rate between the maximum and minimum of any grade without such officers obtaining the usual annual increment provided by the Act, and without their having the right of appeal under section 60 of tho Act. Tho institute, in its petition, prays that the clause may not bo passed into law, and that the institute may be heard by itself or counsel, agents, and witnesses against tho clause, and such other clauses of the provision thereof as affect the Interests of officers, and in support of such amendments to the provisions as may be necessary for protection. A further prayer in the petition says; “That railway ” officers shall receive tho same annual leave as officers in the Post and Telegraph Department, and sick leave not to he deducted from annual leave, or in the alternative railway officers shall receive the same annual leave, the same sick leave, and same payment- for overtime as officers in tho Post and Telegraph Department.” A number of other grievances aro sc t mu, in-the petition.