TRAMWAY EMPLOYEES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14975, 22 April 1909, Page 2

TRAMWAY EMPLOYEES.

CONDITIONS OF WORK. AN AGREEMENT ARRIVED AT. A conference was held on Tuesday" evening between repre&eutatives of the Christchurch Tramway _ Board and the Tramway Employees’ Union, to discuss matters in connection with conditions of labour and rates of pay. Mr J. R. Triggs, Conciliation Commissioner, had iiacfthe matters in hand for some time, and his recommendations were adopted by both parties. The case l , was the first of the kind to be settled by private arbitration in the Canterbury district since the new Conciliation and Arbitration Act came into force. The main features of the agreement are as follows :

Wages.—Motormen: Under one year as motorman, Is an hour; over one year, Is Old; over two years, Is Id; over three years, Is ljd. Conductors: Student conductors under three months, 9d an hour; conductors under one year as fully qualified conductors, 10Jd; conductor's over one year, lid; conductors over two years, 11 jd; conductors over three years, Is. Motormen in the service of the Board on the date of the agreement shall not receive less than Is Ojd per hour, and fully qualified conductors shall not receive less than lid per hour, and the promotion of motormen and conductors from one rate of pay to another shall be subject in all cases to the record of the employee concerned being satisfactory to the Board. The Board shall have the right to disrate any motorman or conductor whose record is unsatisfactory, but not i so unsatisfactory as to warrant dismissal. In all these matters the Board shall be the sole judge. Car equipment adjusters, Is ljd an hour; adjusters in the service of the Board at the date of the agreement, Is 2d ; cleaners, greasers and shod hands, lljd; leading lineman. Is 3d ; leading lineman in the service of the Board at the date of the agreement, Is 3jd; assistant linemen, Is ljd; assistant linemen in the service of the Board at the date of the agreement, Is 2d; track cleaners, lljd: permanent way moil. Is OJd ; hor6o drivers, 11 id; leading horse driver, Is ; leading horse driver in the service of the Board at the date of tile agreement, Is Ojd. Workers under the age of twentyone years shall bo paid the following minimum rate of wages:—Up to sixteen years 10s per week, sixteen to seventeen vears los, seventeen to eighteen years * £l. eighteen to nineteen years ■CI ss, nineteen to twenty rears £1 10s. twenty to twenty-one years £1 los. The scale shall not apply to motormen. conductors, cadets and apprentices, and the proportion of youths employed shall not exceed one youth for every three men or fraction of three. Hours of Work.—The hours of work shall be up to nine hours.per day on week days, all time worked over nine hours in any one week day to be paid lor at time-and-a-half rates: all time worked on Sundays to be paid for at time-and-a-half rates; all time worked on Christmas Day and Good Friday to bo paid for at double rates. Twenty minutes per day shall bo allowed each motorman and conductor for work done before tlie run commences and for work done after the run finishes. All men in uniform or carrying passes to be provided for that purpose shall be allowed to travel free while going to or returning from work. Conductors shall be informed.of all shortages within twenty-four hours after paying in their cash each day. Not less than one week's notice of •termination of engagement shall be given by the Board or its employees, but this shall not prevent the Board from dismissing any without notice or paying one week’s wages in lieu of notice, subject in all to the clause regarding inquiries and appeals. Any complaint or reports against an employee involving suspension or dismissal or loss of standing must be made in writing and delivered t o tho Board within seven daxs of the,

date on wliieh the matter complained 01 occurred. The employee concerned, shall be informed of the nature of thaj complaint within forty-eight hours of its receipt. If a. departmental inquiry; is held such inquiry shall be commence' ed witliiu four days of the receipt of the report, Sundays and holidays excluded. In all cases where the complaint is not upheld there' shall be no, loss of pay. Should any employee be, suspended or dismissed or sustain loss of standing he may apply in writing; to the Staff Committee of the Boara for an inquiry into the circumstanced which have caused the suspension, dismissal or loss of standing. Within seven days from the receipt of such’ ■ application the Staff Committee shall hold the inquiry. The applicant may be present at such inquiry, produce evi-! deuce and make statements in his own defence. He shall receive at least threa days’ notice of such inquiry. If tha employee concerned is dissatisfied with! the decision of the Staff Committee he may appeal to the Tramway Board for re-liearing of that case. No evidence which has not been before the Staff Committee shall ba heard by the Board unless written notice of its nature shall he given to thd Board when the application for the rehearing is made. At the re-hearing, the employee may be represented by? the secretary or a member of the' Union. In the event of the Board ro-j versing the decision of the Staff Com-’ mittee, the employee concerned shall be paid for the time lie has been dis- : missed or under suspension at ordinary rates. | When any appointments are made to. the service of the Board, preferences shall bo given to employees m the department concerned, subject however in all cases to the seniority, suitability, capability and record of the employee concerned, matters of which the Board shall be the sole judge. Nothing in the clause shall prevent the Board from engaging as inotormen men who hold certificates qualifying them to drive the Board’s steam locomotives, but who! are not at the time of such engagement' in the employ of the Board, out suclt appointments shall not be made if there are at that time a sufficient number of motormen in the employ of the Board who hold such certificates. From the coming into operation of the agreement all employees mentioned in Clause 1 shall become members of the Union within three months of joining the Board’s service, provided thafc the Board will not be compelled, to dis-j vpense with the services of any em-l I ployee. No person shall be a member y of the Union who is not in the employ of the Board. No inspector or otliefl officer of the Board shall be a. member of the Union. If the finances of the Board permit, each employee shall be entitled to, and shall receive not less than six oonseciu! tive days as a holiday for each twelve months of continuous service, the employee to receive the ordinary week-day , rates of pay. If at any time the finances of the Board do not warrant ita continuance, the privilege shall be withdrawn until the finances of the Board, shall permit of its reinstatement, a; matter on which the Board shall be the, solo judge. The agreement will come into force! on April 26, and will remain in force* until June 30, 1911.