RAILWAY EMPLOYEES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10545, 23 March 1920, Page 5

RAILWAY EMPLOYEES

AND THEIR PRIVILEGES MEN PREFER. TO ACCEPT -UR MASSEY’S £25. Mr M. J. Mack (general secretary ,to the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants) prefaced yesterday a abatement, to a “Times” representative on. railway-men's “privileges” -by repeating his offer, on behalf, of each member of the A.S.R.S. to accept cash down, tho estimate by the Minister for Railways (the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey), that such privileges were worm £25 per annum. CAPRICIOUS LEAVE. “Lot me just explain,” continued Mr Mack, “how these much-vaunted privileges are given. First, the leave is giVen when it is convenient for the department to allow it, not when it is convenient for the men, or when the leave becomes due. What usually happens is that, when your leave is a year or two overdue, you aro suddenly told a few hours before that you are booked off for holidays. A raan-» wife may bo ill, his children all at school, and he is totally unprepared to go. He can’t leave his wife because she is ill or she has to ston home to look after the children. Or tho man may hiavo to go off ill himself. Then, as ho has no hay coming in, ho takes his leave out in that way: and his illness is more than likely to be due to overwork. PASSES AND THE “CUT.” “As to tho passes, rf he is in the workshops, winch close during the Christmas holidays, a railwayman’s pass is endorsed, not available by through mail or express trains,’ .which afc once nullifies its value. Then, last S year, when the ‘train cut’ was C£h the. I men’s leave was long in arrears. All that could be spared were booked off, but tho pass was withhold, and nothing was. given them by way of compensation for such loss. The "out* was a godsend to the department in more ways than one. Then, those children who go to Rotorua have to be “residing with and solely dependent on’ their father, which means that if any of a man’s children are earning a few shillings in order to help to keep the home going, these privileges do not apply. Here, surely, is a case of greasing the fat pig. The man who gets a good salary and can keep his child going to college, gets all the privilege for it; but the man whose wages are so low that his child has got to go out and earn something to help, is cut out. RETIRING- LEAVE ANOMALIES. "Again, a man retiring after 10 years gets tour weeks’ holiday. But the man who stays on ifco give further service gets' nothing. ‘But,’ the . department says, ‘be is getting a portion of his retiring leave,’ which is throe months for forty years’ service. Here, again, the departmental reasoning of 'the longer you go, the less you get,’ applies. One month for 10 years should be four months (not 3) for 40 years. Surely, if a man leaving is entitled to four weeks, the man, remaining should get something to encourage him to remain in and not go out. as is the case at present.” THAT TRIP TO ROTORUA... Reverting, in conclusion, to ‘‘that trip to Rotorua,” Air Mack said : “Can you imagine a man drawing 12s per day, with deductions for superannuation, talcing his wife and two children to Rotorua, when his daily expenses will he at least £1 12s, to say nothing of steamer fares from the South Island, £7 Bs. This much-talk-ed-of leave, is now considerably in arrears; and no prospect of tho men being relieved. Why, a man _ recently asked for two days to go to his-daugh-ter's wedding and was refused. We would rather have that £2o, and I am speaking on behalf of the great majority of the men interested.’’