TRAM STRIKE ECHO

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18335, 1 March 1934, Page 11

TRAM STRIKE ECHO

DISRATED LOYALISTS • ■ ALL APPEALS UPHELD (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, last-night. • The -Tramway Appeal Board gave,judgment to-night.in 23 appeals by members of .the, traffic , stuff, of, tile . Christchurch tiamways against reductions in grading and pay. All the apphals were upheld, 'with' costs against the Tramways’ Board. 1 The appeals were made against the decision of the recontly-clected board, on which there is an overwhelming majority of Labor members. 'When the tram strike occurred in May, 1932, the trams were matured partly bv non-union labor, jvJth a proportion of,members of- tho union Vvlio refused to go on strike. When fc|ie- strike settlement - was reached by arbitration, tho arbitrator, Mr;, A. T. Lonnclly, a’'barrister, directed 1 Unit, in fulfilment off the pi'ohiisc ' fluule', By the ' board to kedp"volunteers' who had helped jto keep the service- running l ' that -they ‘.would’-Ixs -permanently retained if suitable, a proportion ob these men should 1)4 retained and that R'h other vacancies be filled by the re-employment of union men. * Because of the strike, some of the union , men Were re-engaged at lower grades and I ply and some volunteers and sqme nou-Hti-ikei's were given hiirhcr grading, tlitm they otherwise woyld have achieved. The new hoard directed the fiu|iiager td i re-grade the staff accordingi to seniority, disregrading the strike aiid not counting 1 that period as a break in the service. The result of this regrading was that appellants were reduced in seniority and grading 1 .