THE TRAMWAYMEN.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 377, 26 April 1915, Page 9

THE TRAMWAYMEN.

WAGES SLIGHTLY INCREASED.

ARBITRATION COURT'S; AWARD

The award of the Arbitration Court in the dispute between the Christehurch Tramways Board and the Tramways Union ,lias been filed withtlie Clerk of Awards. The following rates of wages have been granted:— Motormen: Under one year's service, 1/1 per hour; over ■ one year, over two years, 1/2; over three years, 1/24. Conductors: Under one year 's service, 1/-; over one , t year, l/O-i; over three years, 1/1. Leading linemen, 1/4; assistant linemen and emergency men, 1/2 A; pitmen and controller men, day shift 1/2, night shift 1/B.j car greasers and assistant pitmen, day shift 1/o}, night shift 1/li; car cleaners, day shift I/O?,, night shift 1/1-V; permanent-way men, 1/2; track cleaners, 1/1; track cleaner driver, 1/2: powerhouse firemen and greasers, 1/2; all other workers, 1/1. Motormen and conductors shall be provided with not less than 96 hours' work in each fortnight, averaging eight hours for 12 days, but the board may call on men for the other two days, provided that not less than seven hours' work is given on any one day, and that overtime is paid for work in excess of nine hours in one day. The hours of other departments will be as follow: — Firemen and greasers: Day shift, eight liours pay dav; afternoon shift, seven hours per day; night shift, nine hours pei day. The shifts must be rotated each week. Overhead repairers, per-manent-way men, horse drivers, track cleaners, and car-shed day shift, N;{ liours on live days in each week and 4-X hours in one. Overhead emergency men: Day shift, nine hours on live days in each week and seven hours on one; night shift, nine liours on five days ami 11 hours on one. Oar-shed night shift, eight hours for night. It is provided that in broken shifts eight hours' work must be completed within 12 ho(irs, though on one •. day in each week it may extend to within' hours. Not nio.re than .20. men are; to be placed on tlie spare list. The Court, in a memorandum to the ; award, stated that the board's proposals • had, for the most, part, been embodied • in the award. Slight increases of wages; hud been made in some branches of the service! Tlie Court had acceded to the! board's request for a iW-liours fortnight,; having accepted the manager's assurance that it would not affect the average rate of wages earned by the nieii ; or increase the number of broken shifts.The Court expected that to be fulfilled, i and w'ould be disposed to revert to the; weekly system should experience show ! that the clause operated against tlie] workers in this respect. ;