RAILWAY PAY

Grey River Argus, 12 October 1944, Page 3

RAILWAY PAY

COST OF LIVING ASPECT Department's Reply to A.S.R.S. P.A. WELLINGTON, October 11. At the Railway Tribunal, the hearing of the A.S.R.S. claim for threepence an hour wages increase was continued to-day. The department, in its reply, said that the management regarded the claim as for a flat rate increase for all of the employees, irrespective of the work on which they are engaged, based on the cost of living argument. So far as the claim for increased wages was governed by cost of living factors, the management considered that such an increase must first be approved by the Stabilisation Commission. There were, however, grounds other than the cost of living which might warrant increases in pay to some sections of the A.S.R.S.

Dealing with the request that the cost of living allowance be incorporated in the classified rate of pay, the statement pointed out that the allowance was not at present included when computing overtime and other penal payments; but, if it were added to the classified rate, it would be so [ included. The cost of incorporating the present cost of living allowance in the ordinary rate of wages, for the purpose of computing the penal rates at present in force, is estimated at £92,000 a year, in respect of the employees in the A.S.R.S. and the Railway Tradesmen’s Association, which, owing to an overlap in organisation, would not be separated for costing purposes. To apply the principle to all of the second division employees would increase the cost to approximately £105,000 a year. The management, in regard to the claims on behalf of the junior employees, submitted that, to accede to the extent desired, was quite unjustified in the whole of the circumstances. ■ While acknowledging the splendid work of the staff during the war years, the statement pointed out that the man-hours did not increase uniformly with increases in the volume of traffic. The position to-day was that the business and revenue of the department had declined very substantially. At the present time, the gap in the number of staff employed had been, considerably lessened by the return of approximately 2.100 railwaymen from the armed forces, and several hundred men had been employed, by direction of the Manpower authorities. The present staff showed an increase of 5.6 S per cent, on that engaged in September, 1939. The general tenor of the A.S.R.S. case was that, during the past few years, a strain had been imposed on the railwaymen, and this had already been acknowledged. It was submitted, however, that, as the Tribunal was being asked to adjudicate with respect to wages for the ensuing 12 months, considerations, relative to the existing conditions, of those in prospect were more relevant.