FIRE ENGINE DRIVERS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14682, 13 May 1908, Page 8

FIRE ENGINE DRIVERS.

MORE PAY WANTED

At last evening's N meeting of the Christchurch Fire Board the chairman (Mr J. D. Hall) said that he had received a letter from the Drivers' Union, asking the Board to receive a deputation in reference to the terms on which the drivers were engaged for the different fire engines. He had instructed the secretary to say that the Board would receive the deputation. The position wa*» that the superintendent had been instructed to let the men know that an alteration had been made from 6g a turn-out to £3 10s a quarter. One man had been told but had not let the others know, and one man now claimed that for the last quarter, which was likely to be the harvest, he was entitled to something like £7 15s 6d.

The deputation was admitted, and the spokesman said that the drivers of the brigade had asked the Union to approach the Board with a complaint against the reduction of the quarter's pay. The men were on duty all day for sixteen hours, and only got one night off every week. They got only one Sunday off in three, they were on duty on all public holidays, and owing to the large increase in the number of fires during the past twelve months their work had been considerably heavier. The Fire Beard granted the use of a four-roomed cottage, equal in the ca.se of married men to about 10s a week, and quarters to single men, equal to about 6s a week. He quoted the payments received by the drivers for the past three years as follow: 1905—First quarter £2 10s, second quarter £3 7s fid. third quarter £3 ss, fourth quarter £2. average £2 15s 7d; 1906—£3 2s 6d. £3. £2 5* and £3 18s 6d average £3 Is fid: ISo7—£7 7s 6d, £5 7s 6d, £4 and £6 13s 6d. averago £5 17s lid. The men considered that they were Greatly underpaid for the number of hours they were on duty. # Three of the drivers who were with the deputation also addressed the Board. They stated that while under the Council's' control they bad received 5s for every turn-out and 2s 6tl for false alarms, "but every engine had turned out then, while now parts of the plant were not allowed to turn out to certain boxes. They worked on nine holidays in the year, and even on the annual picnic day. A condition of their emplovment with the City Council was that they should drive the fire engines. One of the drivers said that Superintendent Smith had infoimed him of the proposed reduction, but he had objected to it verbally at once. The men would he satisfied with 10s a week. The driver of the St Albans engine said that he had always received £2 10s a quarter, and although his turn-outs were infrequent, be. had to be ready all the time for p telephone call from the city. The relieving driver who was on duty for one Sunday in three and one night a week, received more than he did. Another member of the deputation said that under the drivers' award time on Christmnfi Day other than attendance on horses was naid at the rate of 3s an hour, and for Sundays and other holidays Is 3d an hour. " The rate of the brigade drivers

was about lid per hour, aud although they were not working they had to hang about. The deputation having withdrawn, Mr C. Allison said that he thought the men had a grievance. Although it was possible that the money paid to the City Council for the use of the horses included some compensation for the workmen, it would not be long until the Board might be able to dispense with the horse drivers, and for that reason and to bridge the gap without trouble the Board might grant tho increase of £lO a year, tho average already paid having been about £l6. The men would not then be overpaid, and the £26 would cover holidays.

Mr Rusbridge said, that he would be prepared to second a motion to that effect. The chairman said that, the Beard had fixed £3 10s on the understanding that the men agreed to it. They might get some explanation by referring the matter to the Staff and Plant Committee, with power to act. That course was agreed to, the committee being instructed to consider the matter favourably.