TRAMWAYS DISPUTE

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18351, 8 March 1920, Page 6

TRAMWAYS DISPUTE

AN AGREEMENT REACHED.

The Conciliation Council sat on Sat* urday to consider the dispute between the Christchurch Tramways Board and ~ the Christchurch Tramwaymen’s Union. Mr W. H. Hagger, the Conciliation Commissioner, presided. The Hon J. Barr (chairman) and Mr F. Thompson (general manager) represented the Tramway Board. The representatives for the unioil were Messrs John Wilson (president), H. T. Armstrong (secre- * tary) and F. Birch. Mr Hagger gave an explanation as to the reasons which had led to an adjournment of the proceedings. He assumed that the parties were acquainted with the result of the ballet of the employees. It was stated by Mr Wilson that the ] result of the local ballot was: For 48, against 219. Mr Barr remarked that the proposals originally submitted by the Beard were * those agreed to at a conference of employers in Wellington. He then reflated the subsequent stages and the outcome of the second conference. One of the points agreed to was that while there shall he conditions covering the whole Dominion, there should be variations in respect of certain parts of the Dominion in accordance with the difference in the cost of living. It waa agreed at the second conference to waive this point, with the result that a higher rate was agreed to, equal ta id per hour above the Wellington rate. Mr Barr said that as this agreement , provided improvements from the employees’ point of view the board desired to substitute it for the conditions originally submitted by it. It was desirable that an agreement should be comei to as promptly as possible. The position at present was due to the action of the union. The wages and conditions provided in the second agreement, meant very considerable increases to the hoard, which had been at a great disadvantage for some time owing to the matter hanging over, as it was re- : cognised from tho board’s knowledge of its finance that the increases must be set back on the public. The board was preparing at present a scale of increased fares to cover the increases in wages and the increased costs resulting j from the altered conditions. The case was unique in that the employers had cited the employees, and asked them to accept business. Mr Armstrong said, in view of the result of the ballot, it was not possible for tho union to accept the employers’ proposals holus-bolus, and he did not think that Mr Barr seriously expected it to do so. Mr Armstrong asked that tho case should be considered purely! from a Christchurch point of view. Tho minimum wage offered was the lowest he knew of outside tramway employees, especiaUy when the hours of work wero taken into consideration. He contended that tho cost of living in Christchurch had increased in greater proportion than had been the oase in other centres. According to tfie Government Statistician, tho purchasing power of the sovereign in Christchurch at pre-! sent, in regard to necessary food com- < modities, was 12s 9d, os compared with the Dominion average of 13s lsd. Mr Armstrong further oontended that £3 per week prior to the war was now worth only £1 18s 3d, so that a manreceiving £4 per week at present was actually only earning equivalent to £2 Ils. The men wanted a forty-four-hour week at ls v lOd per hour. Mr Barr' said that the men’s claims • did not go as far as asking for a 44-hour week. The points raised by Mr Armstrong he realised, but in. many of the industries referred to the men had to pay their own tram fares, buy their own overcoats, eto.

Attention was here drawn by Mr Thompson to the figures quoted *by Mr Justice Stringer with reference to railwaymen, based on the latest tion suggested by the Government Statistician. His Honour had pointed out that railwaymen receiving £2 14s as a basic rate before the war should now get £3 18s. The tramway employees’ terms, which had been rejected by tho men at tho ballot, gave an increase as compared with ore-war Yates, to first year motormen of 49 per cent, to second year men of 43 por cent, third year men of 45} per cent and over third year of 40} per cent- First year conductors were offered an increase of 40} per cent, second year 54 per cent, third year 58} per cent, over three years 49 per cent. Cleaners and greasers were offered 54 per cent on the day shift, and 52 per cent, on the night shift; overhead linesmen 46 per cent, trap cleaners 58 per cent, permanent way men 50 per cent, power-house firemen 65 per cent and greasers 50 per cent. Tho majority of the increases axe over 44 per*cent. Mr Armstrong replied that in the past the board had paid its men 3d less per hour than the wage paid to ordinary labourers, and the increases quoted were not based on the latter rate of wages. Mr Justice Stringer’s figures applied to" a man with a family of two children and made no provision for those with larger families. Mr Barr entered a protest against the present demands, which he said were an increase of 2d per hour on those recently mado by the Federation. He suggested that the rates of pay as set out in the board’s proposals should be accepted by the men as the basic wages, which would be subject to any readjustment the Court might make as the result of an application by the union for increases in respect of increased cost of living. He undertook, on behalt of the board, that the wages set out in the proposals would be paid immediately.

Tho union’s representatives and the Commissioner retired to consider this proposition. ’ On resuming, details were discussed. Provision was made for Is 9d per hour being paid to motormen who have been motormen for over five years, for Is 8d per hour to conductors who have worked as conductors for over five years, and for Is 8d per hour for firemen and greasers. The other rates, as set outi in the hoard’s proposals, were adopted. Respecting hours, it was agreed that broken shifts,shall be completed within eleven hours (instead of twelve hours) except on one day in the week and statutory public holidays, when they shall not exceed twelve hours (instead of thirteen hours); this not to prevent men being employed over a longer period on payment at times at halfrates.

Some discussion ensued regarding the preference clause, and on the motios of Mr Barr, seconded by Mr Armstrong, it was decided to recommend the Commissioner to bring under the notice of the Court the anomalies in the clause which make it unworkable and to ask the Court to draw up a workable clause. Mr Barr stated that the hoard was prepared to incorporate on its application form for employment _ the question: “Are you williug to become a member of tho union?” Other clauses were agreed to, aud it was agreed that the term of the award should be for two years. The wages agreed upon are to bo paid as from February 1, but the clause dealing with hours of work is to come into operation no.t later than, Jugq 1,192 Q„