TRAMWAY EMPLOYEES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2955, 2 November 1910, Page 63

TRAMWAY EMPLOYEES.

DOMINION AWARD WANTED. THE MEN'S DEMANDS. WELLINGTON, October 31. The tramwaymen of the Dominion have presented to the employers, municipal and otherwise, throughout New Zealand the text of their proposals for a new and universal Dominion award. The Wellington tramways award expired normally on October 18, 1910, but, of course, has continued in force pending a new award. The following is the proposed minimum rate of wages payable to the several classes of labour in the tramway services throughout the Dominion:—Motormen--First year's service, Is l£d per hour; over one and under two, Is 2d; over two and under three, Is 2£d; over three years, Is 3d. Conductors (electric or cable)—First year, Is per hour; over one and under two, Is o£d; over two and under three, Is Id; over three years, Is Pointsmen, £3 net* week; switchmen, Is l£d per hour; switchmen's attendants, 9d per hour; trackmen, Is Hd per hour; permanent way repairers, Is 3d per hour; bondsmen, Is 3d per hour; general labourers, Is l£d per hour; shed storekeepers, Is 3d per hour; assistant storekeepers, Is per hour; car cleaners, car oilers, and car greasers, Is l£d per hour; car examiners, Is 3d per hour; brake adjusters and controller men, Is 3d per hour; car equipment adjusters, Is 3d per hour; pitmen and truckmen, Is lid per hour; carshed handy men, Is l£d per hour; power-house leading .firemen, Is 3d per hour; power-house greasers, Is 3d per hour; power-house firemen, handy men, and trimmers, la 2d per hour; electrical or mechanical fitters, Is 6d per hour, electrical or armature wiremen, Is per hour; fitters' labourers, Is per hour; switchboard attendants, Is 6d per hour; boys, first year, 6s per day; second, 7s; third, 8s; leading linesmen, Is 4id per hour; linesmen and emergency linesmen, Is 3d per hour; drivers of emergency or tower wagons, Is 1-id per hour; blacksmiths, 10s 6d per day; blacksmiths' strikers, 9s per day; engineamiths, Is 6d per hour'; enginesmiths' strikers, Is per hour; turners, Is 6d per hour; plumbers, Is 4d per hour; coach workers, Js 4d per hour. Workers under 21 years shall be paid the following minimum rate of wages per week : —Under 17, 15s; over 17 and under 18, £1; over 18 and under 19, £1 ss; over 19 and under 20, £1 10s; over 20 and under 21, £1 15s. This latter scale shall not apply to. motormen, brakesmen, gripmen, conductors, apprentices, or to any youths outside the workhop. Men working continuously on night shift are to be paid time and a-quar-ter, and daymen on night- shift time and a-half; overtime and Sunday shii'.s to be paid for at double rates. Power-house firemen, greasers, handymen, and trimmers, when employed cleaning boilers, etc., are to be paid 3d per hour over and above as dirt money. The average of -enginedrivers on tramway services shall be lis per night ehift of eight hours. Sunday work: Time and a-half for motormen, en-gine-drivers, gripmen, and conductors. The hours shall not be less than eight per day, the employers to have the right to cail on any of the said men to work for one more hour, paying for the tima eo worked at ordinary rates. Motormen, brakesmen, and conductors booked on late specials to go out after 9 p.m. shall be paid a minimum of two hours- for such work, and any said men booked up for midnight specials shall be provided with a meal. Provision is also made for shifts in power-house work.

Except where otherwise provided-, the following shall be the rates of overtime payable to the several classes of employees —namely, en working days subject as hereunder stated : Time and a-half for all employees included in tho agreement up to midnight, and double time thereafter. The provisions as to overtime on working days worked before or after midnight shall not apply to employees whose ordinary employment consists wholly or partly of night work or night shift. Hotormen, gripmen, brakesmen, and conductors working p.m. straight shifts shall only be entitled to time and a-half for overtime worked after midnight. "Call back" duty to be paid for at overtime rates. On Sundays time and a-half shall be paid to all employees included in the agreement. Motormen, gripmen, brakesmen, and conductors booked for duty on Sundays email receive a minimum payment of two hours at time and a-haJf rates. On Good Friday and Christmas Day all employees included in the agreement shall be paid ordinary time, and. in addition, ajl time worked on the said days shall be paid for at double time rates.

The proposals provide for the free parses in cars of all the employees other than casual men. and also for time for signing on and off. There is also an important provision that each and every conductor shall be given a receipt for all moneys paid in. This conflicts with the newly-introduced system by which a machine automatically receives the conductors' cash-boxes, but giver, no receipt. All employees who are required to work on ordinary public and statutory holidays, and who have been in the employers' eervice for at least 12 months, shall be entitled to holidays as'follows:—One year and under two years' service, eight days: two years to three years, 10 days; four years' service. 12 day.-; five years, 14 days; eix years and over 16 days consecutive per annum, with the option of taking eight consecutive holidays everv six months, provided that all men employed on night shift work receive not less than 12 days' holiday per annum, and powerhouse firemen, greasers, and trimmers not less than 14 days consecutive holiday per annum, all the said holidays to bo on full pay; a monthly holiday rota to be prepaied by the employer and posted at depots at least 21 days before a man is allowed to take hk' holiday. Provision is made for preference to unionists. It shall be a condition, of employment that employeee should join and remain rnemhjti M %»•■» m i m i km

fault, an employee is to be dismissed. Anybody voluntarily resigning from the union shall be liable to dismissal, and receive a. notification from the tramways manages that he is eo liable, and unless he rejoins the union within one week from the date of notice he will be dismissed.