RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15101, 25 March 1911, Page 9

RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.

FORMIDABLE GRIEVANCES.

CFbom Ora Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, March 24. Tho dissatisfaction amongst railway employees in practically every branch of tha eervice is said to be becoming more and more pronounced. Somo interesting remarks were made to a Herald representative yesterday by Mr J. Mack, general occretary of tlife Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, concerning the grievances of the men. Mr Mack is at present making a tour of the branches of the Auckland district. In referrals to tho new society formed by the engine-drivers, fiiemen, and clcaners, Mr Mack said he thought that the majority of those men wore satisfied that they nad taken a retrograde step. What was affecting the men mostly present time were their grievances, many of which weie of such a petty nature that they could be easily remedied with very little extra ccst to the department. There were, of dourse, others of more serious import. ]<<>r instance, they wanted a 48-hour week for all branches of the service. They did not ask lor an 8-hour day, beca/use they recognised the difficulties in giantirg such a request, especially in the train-running departments. However, they did consider a 48-hour week was reasonable. This would allow the department to work a man 10 or 12 hours one day and propor- , tionately shorten it the next. At present the only men in tho service who had a 48-hour week wcTe the" engine-drivers, firemen, and Another grievance referred to was that the men whon off duty were not permitted to leave their home station without permission. At country stations this was most inconvenient and disadvantageous to 'tho men. Then as to the. shunters, it was only reasonable to expect that men uiaagid in shunting should be paid full shunter's wages. It was easily the most dangerous work in the service, yet they found porters engaged in shunting at porters' rates of pay, and even boys at 5s a day had keen put on. That sort of thing was unfair to the officer in charge, and the risk was too great to the boys on account of their inexperience. A further grievance was that many men, principally single n.ea, ■were sent away from their home station to do relieving work on what was known as temporary transfer. There men received no additional remuneration, notwithstanding the fact that they were compelled. as it were, to keep two homes. The way in which the department defines sleeping accommodation was also reieiTed to by Mr Mack. When a man was awaj r and no sleeping accommodation could be fcundfor him he was entitled to fs fcr th's night, but when accommodation was supplied this allowance was reduced to 2s or 3s a night. Tiie department, however, had some peculiar ideas as to what constituted "sleeping accommodation." It put a man into a wooden hut absolutely devoid of bedding, and for this luxury deducted from tho lodging allowance provided by the regulations the sum of 2s, .whereas a man could go to a good hotel and get a comioitable bed for oighteenpence. That, the society considered, was an unjust proceeding, because it meant that if a member was to occupy the hut it would be necessary for him to taku bedding from his home, which would cost Is each way tor caitage, apart from the inconvenience. Mr Mack added that thcro were many little pinpricks too Aumerous to mention that were irritating the members of tho railway service. In the Auckland district, for instance, the men had recently been forbidden lo use the telephone to ascertain the time when they were required for duty. In some csees men had to walk from two to three miks to find, out the time booked for them to start work.