STANDARD OF LIVING

Northern Advocate, 12 August 1932, Page 6

STANDARD OF LIVING

TRANSPORT WORKERS' WAGES,

UNION CASE PRESENTED,

(Special to “Northern Advocate.’’) AUCKLAND, Thursday.

Tint opinion that there should no “no further attack on their standard of living’’ is expressed in a communication sent to members of the Auckland Transimrt Board yesterday ,by the assessors appointed by the Auckland Transport Board’s Tramway and Omnibus Employees’ Industrial Union of Workers in connection with the dispute in respect to wages and conditions which is now before the board.

After dealing with rosters, running and broken shifts, the assessors state that the total amount to be saved by the board and lost to the men if the variations in the agreement required by the board are made would approximate £I2,STS per annum. If there were subtracted from that amount the wages saved by the retrenchment of 2S men the direct loss to each man remaining in the service would be £0 10/1 a year. Compared with a year ago the wages had been reduced by 17 x*er cent., plus 5 per cent, wages tax. Dealing with the board’s reduction in expenditure, the assessors stated that the men in the service least able to afford reductions had had to face a greater proportion of the saving, while the administrative portion of the staff, with the exception of certain reductions in salary, had been left almost intact, and in several instances indirect increases had been granted. The membership of the union had been reduced from 1,072 at January 1, 1931, to 870 on May 31 last. The pay-roll of the rank arid file had been reduped by £42,01(5 per annum, but the administrative staff’s. reduction had been considerably less in comparison. The board had retrenched permanent men from the permanent way staff and had re-em-ployed them to do ordinary permanent way repair work under No. .5 scheme.

Proposals,

Counter proposals made -by the union assessors were that an endeavour should bo made to have the yearly sum of £.137,000 interest charges and £48,000 sinking fund reduced; that no further wage reductions bp made until the result of the agitation for the reduction in interest payments bore fruit; that in six months ’ time, if no rolicf was received in connection with interest charges the board (provided revenue did not increase meanwhile) should give attention to the following suggestions, prior, to any. further reductions of the earnings of the rank and file:—(a) That the subsidy grant by the board towards the head office endowment insurance scheme be suspended until such time as the board was in a position to meet ordinary liabilities and showed a profit sufficient to meet; the concession; (b) that the board make full investigation of its supervision staff with a view to reduction.

Further proposals made by the .assessors were: The merging of the positions of manager and engineer, the merging of the positions of traffic superintendent and roster clerk, the abolition of the position of superintendent of Gaunt Street garage, and the merging of the position with that of 'ear shed superintendent; that no structural work on new buildings be undertaken at present; that the position of supervisor and technical assistant "be eliminated; that as the accountant received seven months’ leave of absence on salary, and as the chairman had stated that his duties could be carried out by the remaining staff, a readjustment bo made to save the salary of one man; that a reduction of the supervisory staff be made; that the inspectorial staff bo reduced, seeing that it had been’stated that the conductors in the service were as honest and efficient as in. any other service.

The assessors declared that the subsidy granted by the board to the administrative office staff, and the retention of that‘staff at practically full strength, while dismissals of the rank and file were taking place, had created a feeling that preferential treatment had been practised in the service.