THE WAGES DISPUTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17277, 29 September 1919, Page 7

THE WAGES DISPUTE.

OFFER THAT WAS REJECTED.

FIGHT FOR WAR BONUS.

DEMAND FOR RETENTION.

Australian and N.Z. Cable Aasqciation. (Reed. 9.5 p.m.) LONDON. Sept. 26. Before the negotiations this week all workers were receiving'pre-war i pay, plus 33s per week, war bonus, j The- railwaymen claim that this j should be a permanent addition to i their wages. The Government re- ' fused to accept this principle, offer- | ing instead a £2 minimum wage per j week, compared with the 18s minimum wage existing before the war. | The Government also drafted a new j scale aiming generally at giving a J 100 per cent, advance to all grades. | According to the March agreement the war bonus was to cease at the end of the year, but to-day the Gov- j ernment offered to prolong the bonus until the cost of living, which is now 115 per cent, above the pre-war level, falls to 110 and remains at that level for three months. This practically gave six months for negotiations, but the men rejected the offer. The Government pointed out that contrary to the assertions of Mr. J. H. Thomas, the general secretary of the Railwaymen's Union, the agreement with the locomotive section , did not embody the principle that the war bonus should continue permanently. While it was true that I the wages of drivers and firemen i were fixed on this basis, the cleaners under the same agreement received a smaller sum. The March agreement specially stated that the new permanent wage should consist of the pre-war wage and part of i the war bonus. The agreement did j not contemplate the inclusion of the ! whole war bonus. I

It is pointed out that before the war the railways wage bill amounted to £47,000,000 annually. The increase of 100 per cent, in wages, which has already been made, and the extra cost involved as the result of recent legislation for a shorter day, represents a further £77,000,000. It is estimated that the men's new claims would cost an additional £14,000,000 LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS. ALL AID PROMISED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Reed. 10 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 27. Mr. J. Bromley, secretary of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers, states that until Tuesday he and his executive did not know of the difficulties that had arisen between the Government and the executive of the National Union of Railwaymen. He received Mr. J. H. Thomas' statement of the railwaymen's demands and the Government's offer on Thursday afternoon, and he wrote to Mr. Thomas 24 hours' later, stating that his executive had resolved, in view of the rates of pay ruling in other industries, that the Government's offer was totally inadequate to meet the existing cost of living, and had decided to extend any support necessary to bring the movement to a successful issue.

GOVERNMENT PLANS. PREVENTION OF FAMINE. A. and N.Z. LONDON. Sept. 26. It is officially stated that the Government has decided that the strike must be fought with all the resources of the country. Armed force will be. used if necessary. The War Office has suspended all leave and demobilisation. The Government has announced that protection will be afforded to all loyal workers.

It is also announced officially that the Government has mobilised road transport vehicles and army lorries for the conveyance of essential foods. These measures are strictly confined to food transport, but a famine in large towns will be prevented at any cost. The public are warned that most stringent economy in the use of milk is essential in order to carry out its policy.

The Food Ministry presented details of a memorandum conferring extensive power upon the Ministry. It is expected that the War Cabinet will ratify the memorandum to-night. No special scheme has been mentioned for the conveyance of mails, and the attitude of the omnibus men depends upon the Transport Workers' Federation. In March of this year a. concerted general strike was threatened by the three treat bodies of organised workers in Britain who' are parties to the Triple Industrial Alliancethe Miners' Federation of Great Britain, the National Union of Kailwaymen, and the Transport Workers 'Federation. The danger was averted after protracted negotiations by separate, agreements between the Government and the three unions. Before the war the railways of Britain employed about 620,000 men, of whom, roughly, 340,000 were concerned in the manipulation of traffic, tho remainder comprising the men employed in the engineering shops, docks, and the clerical and supervisory grades. The average earnings of railwaymen in the year ljefote the war were 28s 6d per week. To meet the increased cost of living, war wage additions to permanent wages were given on various occasions, totalling 35s i,er week to all men of 18 years and over. It. addition the principle of the eighthour day was put into force on February 1 of this year. In March last the National Union of Railwaymen submitted a proetnnime to the Government, asking for the retention of the eight-hour day, which was conceded ; for all advances given as war wages to be converted into permanent wages; and for rates of ;">ay upon all the railways in the United Kingdom to he standardised. The union also demanded tnat there, should he equal representation, both national and local, upon the management, of the railways. An offer was made by the Government, which was accepted lv the. railwaymen at the end of March. By the terms of this agreement the present wages were to be stabilised until December 31, 1919, and any reduction of the war wage was to be waived. As regards standardisation of rates of pay, it was proposed that negotiations should be con? Ed for fixing new standard rates, so as to ensure, that all men throughout the country should receive the same payment for the same work under the same conditions. This, it was , stated. tv.i-jld involve a transfer of a, part "i the war nasc to the permanent wage, bill (!:•■ '• ' ci ninenl ,;;i m l that up to l>"i i-jni.ei 3! 1919. no man should receive less ii: urekly rate ~f «ages. plus war wage, than he was receiving at, the time. At the end of the year the whole situation would be reviewed. I ,