RISES IN RAILWAY PAY

Grey River Argus, 16 February 1945, Page 3

RISES IN RAILWAY PAY

12 PER CENT. SECOND division £3O to £45 for Officers INDEPENDENT OF COST 01LIVING WELLINGTON, Feb. 15. A general increase of three pence half-penny an hour has been granted by the Railways Tribunal to all Second Division employees, with certain other adjustments. The increase for the Second Division is approximately 12 per cent. There have been common wage scales provided for the iurvor crnploycos nnd foi uppientices instead of different scales which formerly obtained. There have been graduated increases provided for the First Division. The range of increases for the majority of ollieers is from £3O to ±4o per' annum, subject to an adjustment of cost of living allowances in the higher ranges. After these adjustments are made the largest group, comprising Grade Six oflicers, receives a salary increase of £32 per annum.

' The Tribunal stated. “We are satisfied that throughout the railway service there exists a genuine dissatisfaction, in some cases amounting to resentment of the existing rates. While inevitably factors associated with' cost of living topics intrude in many representations on wages questions, we have come to the conclusion that disregarding fluctuations in the cost of living as provided in the Stabilisation Emergency Regulations, there is justification for an increase in the existing rates. We nave accordingly extensively examined and discussed all aspects of the service of members of the railway organisations with the appropriate assessors, and have decided that the increases should be of general application with further adjustments in appropriate situations. “In all our assessments cost of living allowances are not included. We are satisfied that the increases authorised will nol impair the economic stability of New Zealand, but, on the contrary, will remove genuine grievances and restore morale in an organisation which plays such a vital part in the economic life of the community. In our view such a course w.H promote the economic stability of the country and is particularly necessary for promoting the etlicicnecy of the Department. “The new rates will operate from June 30, 1944, being the date of the lodging of the first application. As it is Government policy that the orders should operate from a common date it will be necessary for validating authority to be obtained in respect of applications lodged after such common date. A total of 73 claims has been presented and consideration of the balance of these dealing with general conditions of service is now occupying the attention of the Tribunal.” The Tribunal states that it wishes to express its indebtedness to the staff of Iho Department and to the representatives of the various organisations for the almost encyclopaedic but lucid elaboration of the many factors and considerations to be reviewed by the Tribunal in the performance of its functions. The evidence submitted filled 2533 foolscap pages and in addition there were diagrams, etc.

INCREASES RETROSPECTIVE. P.A. WELLINGTON, February 15. The Railways Tribunal intends to make retrospective the payments under the new salary and wages schedule on March 1. A statement to this effect was macle this afternoon.

No comment on the new wages schedule was available to-day from the head office of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. Mi- T. G. Gebbie, General Secretary of the Railway Tradesmen’s Association, said that the decision was under consideration by the National Executive and branches. LOCO MEN’S RISES. In the case of the locomotive running staff, increases for engine drivers range from 41d to 4id an hour. Firemen receive increases of from 3.'.d to 4ld an hour, and adult cleaners from 31cl to 4d_ per. hour. The classification of junior firemen is ietained as a war-time measure. TRADESMEN’S NEW RATES. The decision as affecting apprentices and tradesmen is: Leading tradesmen 3s sid per hour (second year), and 3s 41 cl (first year); tradesmen bricklayers 3s 3d, bottom rate 3s Id; other tradesmen 3s 2d; apprentices 2s 4ld (sixth year—apprenticed plumbers only), 2s (fifth year), Is 9cl (fourth year), Is 6d (third year), Is 3d (second year), Is Hid (first year). These rates represent an increase in tradesmen's rates of 3id per horn. The increase in apprentice rates is: First year 31d, second year 4d, third year 51d, fourth year 6?d, fifth year Gi.'d, and sixth year 71 cl. Dr W. B. Sutch. a member of the Tribunal, macle a reservation on the point of tradesmen’s wages: “I cannot agree with the views of the majority of the Tribunal that die hourly rate of pay fixed for railway tradesmen is the correct, one,’ he states. “The increase in the rate is the same as for labourers and has been granted on the assumption that it is sufficient to maintain arithmetical differences in the hourly rates in oi’der to preserve the relative position of skilled men as compared with those working on the lowest rate of pay. Over a period of 20-odd years lhe relative position of the tradesman 'm ( : grodually become worse. If the Tribunal had maintained oven t.ne relative position of the tradesman on a percentage basis the hourly rale would have had to be increased by a figure slightly more than three farthings per hour, above the amount now granted. In the submissions of the Railway Tradesmen’s Association there was ample evidence of the complexity of the work performed and the highly skilled nature of much of this work.” He felt that to fix the wage rate for skilled tradesmen in a way that adversely altered their relative position, compared with labourers, was not in the best interests either of the Railways Department or of New Zealand. Mr J. S. Roscoe, General Secretary of the Railway Officers’ Institute, said: “While the increases for the First Division seem fairly substantial Ihe position is that our members received two cutn in 1921, and so far as the m’eat majority of them are concerned, the cuts have not been fully restored. Prior to this announcement our nominal wage rates were still on the basis obtaining after the 1921 cut. The cuts of 1931 and 1932 were restored by the previous and present Governments and practically all other sections of the community, at any rate all sections of workers under awards, received

increases from 1924 -to 1930. Since P lO of the depression cuts in 1J36, they have received further increases. Our members are still on salary rates lower than those of 1920. Jne increases still do not bring us itv°of iVo ” h purcliasins P o '-ver par-

Roscoe added that members , e - very Phased to obtain the pretvm.r. ir ! creas <?s. The majority of them in nr i lll ' 3a d way financially and mnL, <• x, meet income tax this year man? i°<- tllem had to seek employ-hmn-r. ? e * ore and after their normal ma Li' n SUc i l places as wool stores ana wharves.