RAILWAYMEN'S PRIVILEGES.

Evening Star, Issue 17314, 30 March 1920, Page 7

RAILWAYMEN'S PRIVILEGES.

TO THE EDIXOB. Sir,—We hear a good deal'about the above heading from various people who do not know what they are talking about. All sorts of favors and concessions arc supposed to be enjoyed by railwaymen at the public expense. They get a free pass once a year, and can travel at other times at one-quarter fares, I am quite sure that most railwaymen would take 6d a week m return for the above favors. It is certain that the department would be very much out of pocket if it paid the men Is per week instead of these overvalued concessions. The free pass that is granted once a year is so little valued that quite half the railwaymen do not bother to take it out. The days on which it is available to travel on the express or other fast trains are so few that it is difficult to make use of it. Of # course, they could travel by slow trains, or use 'it on branch lines; but the average railwayman does not care about spending his holidays crawling about the country in a stuffy railway carnage. J In regard to the superannuation fund, the .railwayman does not get more than he pays for. The reason that the fund has had to be bolstered up by the Government, is because of the large retiring allowances that some of the higher officials are receiving. The fund will be “self-supporting when the maximum amount of retiring allowance, which is fixed at £3OO, is in operation. It will be many years before this takes place, owing to the fact that the older members are entitled to full superannuation. The average retiring allowance is between £BO and £l2O a according to the length of service. Ihus, a man with 40 years’ service gets , two-thilds of his salary, and a man with 50 years’ service gets a half as retiring allowance. Iho paid holidays enjoyed by the railwaymen are not particularly liberal. They amount to 10 days in the case of men with less than 10 years’ service, and 13 days in the case of over 10 years’ service. These holidays in a great many cases have to be taken out when'the department can spare the men, and not at a general holloa? time; so that they are not a great concession to the men. * ° The above are the only benefits conferred by the Government upon a hard working service. They represent a very small outlay, and should not be counted as extra wages. Some people will sav; What about sick pay and other benefits? j The only instance of the Railway Department paying sick pay to the members of ! the Second Division was during the influ- I enza epidemic, when they paid full pay ' for time lost. The sick benefit societies in " connection with the railway staff are •wholly supported by the members, and they do not even get the support from the Government that outside friendly societies receive. It is unfair that these benefit, societies cannot get the same grants and privileges for their members as the outside friendly societies; but this is one of the little ways'in which the Government economise. I hope that the' public, will now understand a little better the conditions of service of the railwaymen.—l am, etc., March 29. A.E. 1