Shorter Hours For Miners: More Work For Railwaymen

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 April 1948, Page 4

Shorter Hours For Miners: More Work For Railwaymen

The operation of the seven-hour day, bank-to-bank, in the West Coast coal mines” is already having repercussions outside of the industry) and one of the first sections of the community to be affected are the railwaymen who are called upon to run the extra trains needed, particularly on the Rewanui line. It is reported that there is dissatisfaction in the ranks of the railwaymen at the prospect of extra shifts being .required for the miners’ trains, when they are already working long hours. It is understood that the matter has already been semi-officially discussed by the Greymouth members of the Engine Drivers’, Firemen’s and Cleaners’ Association, and that a meeting is to be held on Sunday next to discuss the whole position of hours of work and arrears of annual leave on the Greymouth section. Both these questions are bound up with the extra. crews now needed to man trains on the Rewanui line. Staff Shortage

The locomotive branch of the Railways Department at Greymouth has been under full strength for a long time and, as a result, it has been impossible for the department to spare engine-drivers and firemen for annual holidays in anything like normal sequence. In fact, some members eff the staff, it is stated, have had to forego holidays for some years and it has been a general rule for them to be paid for the holidays and to continue working. This lack of holidays, coupled with the fact that hours considerably in excess of 40 per week are being worked (the average is believed to be between 48 and 50 hours a week) has been the subject of representations to the head officers of the department for some time. Recently, it is understood, these representations looked like bearing fruit, as far as the Greymouth branch of the E.F.C.A. was concerned.

It was agreed that the department would accept suggestions as to how rearrangements could loe made in the duty roster, to release a limited number of men for annual holidays and the E.F.C.A. was of the opinion that it could assist in compiling a suitable roster. “Fell Flat” Just as it appeared that finality might be reached, however, the seven-hour day for the mines was announced, together with a revised and increased train-running schedule to fit in with the new hours. This new schedule, it is understood, will require at' least one additional train crew a day, with the result that the plan to revise the roster to provide for holidays has fallen fiat. Naturally, it has not been regarded as good news by the engine crews and some dissatisfaction has been expressed at the fact that railwaymen, already working comparatively long hours are to .be asked to carry an additional burden, in order to shorten the working hours of the miners. The guards are also affected by the new time-table for the Rewanui line and some of them have expressed cispleasure at the prospect of additional night shifts. However, it is stated that no official action has yet been taken by the A.S.R.S.

Transport of Coal The new time-table on the Rewanui line provides for two extra trains a day, but so far as the train, crews are concerned, the position is more involved than the mere running of extra trains. There is a large amount of shunting to be done on the line from Rewaniu to Dunollie, with coar trains from Rewanui and from tho co-operative mine sidings all the way down. The passenger . trains will have preference on the line and it is expected that there will be more delays, and consequently longer shifts on the coal trains. Some concern has been expressed in the same regard by the co-opera-tive parties, who fear that the additional passenger traffic on the line will necessitate night loadings from their sidings, with men having to remain on duty after the normal working hours. It is stated, however, that the new train schedule for the line will enable most of the co-operative mine coal to be handled in the daylight hours, unless there are unusually heavy demands from the Rewanui end of the line. It will probably be several weeks before the position in this regard can be fully surveyed, as the planned running on the line can be tested only by actual experience.