Railway Tradesmen And Wages Rates

Northern Advocate, 30 November 1948, Page 5

Railway Tradesmen And Wages Rates

WELLINGTON, Tue. (P.A.).— I The Government’s refusal to adopt wage rates unanimously recommended by the margins and anomalies committee has caused widespread dissatisfaction among tradesmen employed in the railway service, said the president ol the Railway Tradesmen’s Association (Mr A. D. Hennessey) in a statement today. He added that at a meeting specially called to decide future course of action, the national executive of the RTA expressed resentment at the acting Prime Minister’s proposal to place the recommendations before a tribunal for determination. The association, he said, was determined to explore every avenue to obtain satisfaction on the issue. MAINTAIN UNITY “Our association acted in cooperation with other state service organisations in the work connected with the margins and anomalies committee, and is desirous of maintaining the unity observed throughout the lei>gthy negotiations, on marginal wage rates,” said the statement.

“We made proposals for joint action, including a joint one-day country-wide-st oppage of work to enable officers of the service organisations to acquaint fully their memberships with the position and enable the rank and file to express their wishes on any future action they deem necessary.” Mr Hennessey said his organisation was not interested in the Governmentsponsored tribunal, legislation _ for which was before Parliament. “EVADE RESPONSIBILITIES”

“Our members regard the setting up of another tribunal at this stage as an attempt by the Government to evade its responsibility to its own employees,” he said. “If it was the Government’s intention to have the matter decided by a tribunal, this should have been expressed 12 months ago instead of setting up the margins and anomalies committee and allowing it to function for nine months at considerable expense of time and money. “Railway tradesmen have lofig resented the inadequacy of their wage rate and the deterioration of their relative position in the wage, and salary structure. “The rate for a fully-qualified tradesman in the railway service is 3/9 an hour or £7/10/- a week. EXODUS FROM SERVICE “This is the maximum rate and is 10/- a week less than the base tradesmen’s rate unanimously recommended by the margins and anomalies committee.

“It is also 10/- a week less than the rate paid by most local authorities to their tradesmen and accounts for the steady and uneconomic exodus of railway-trained tradesmen from the railway service.”