RAILWAY SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 September 1924, Page 5

RAILWAY SERVICE.

THE BOARD OF INQUIRY FOUR REPORTS ISSUED. RECOMMENDATIONS ACCEPTED. SETTLING FUTURE DISPUTES. (By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. The report of the Board of Inquiry into the rates of pay and conditions of work of railway employees as represented by the Amalgamated Society o? Railway Servants was released for publication by the Minister for Railways (Hon. J. G. Coates) to-day. The report is in four parts: (a) The report of the board as a whole; (b) the report of the majority of the board; (c) the report of the minority of the board; (d) a memorandum from Mr. J. Mason, the Railway Department’s representative, in respect of two matters on Mrhich he was unable to agree with the other members of the board. The whole of the recommendations have Ibeen considered by Cabinet, and the Government has decided to accept the recommendations of the board as a whole signed by al! members, and the recommendations of the majority of the board signed by His Honour Mr. Justice Frazer and Messrs. Mason and Scott. TRIBUNAL NOT FAVOURED.

Concerning the claim by the A.S.R.& that where any dispute arises between the society and the Railway Department, whether out of the interpretation of any agreement or any other matter, such dispute shall be referred to an independeht tribunal, consisting of equal representation from the department and the society, with a chairman to be mutually agreed upon, the decision of such board to be final until a new agreement is made, the board states: “The claim, as formulated, embodies the principle of a Whitley Council, with exceedingly wide powers. The report of the sub-committee of the Inter-departmental Committee on the application of the Whitley Report to Government establishments, Rufbmitted to the Imperial Parliament in 1919, was to the effect that Whitley Councils in the civil service must of necessity be merely consultative and advisory. If given wider functions the councils would usurp those of the Minister, whose control of the service must remain unimpaired, subject only to ultimate Parliamentary control. The hoard is accordingly of the opinion that the claim, in its present form, cannot be given effect to. We think, however, that section 9 or the Government Railways Amendment Act, 1921, provides machinery for the setting up of a hoard to inquire into matters on which the regulations are silent, or concerning whijh there is a difference of opinion regarding *he interpretation of the regulations. With one dissentient (Mr. Mason), we recommend the setting up of a board from time to time to consider such matters as may be referred to it- and to report thereon to the Minister.”

APPEALS AND RETIREMENT. The board had no recommendation to make on the claim that the Minister’s veto of the findings of the Railway Appeal Board he abolished or with regard to the claim that any member of the A.S.R.S. who has been fined £2 or less, or has been punished in any other way, be permitted to have his ease heard by the Board of Appeal, provided that he deposits the sum of £lO as evidence of good faith, such sum to be forfeited if the appeal is dismissed. No recommendation was made on the claim that all members ibe granted the right of retiring from the service on superannuation after thirty-five years’ service, or on their attaining the age of fifty-five years, the. board stating that the Act at present empowers the Minister, in a proper case, to allow a member to retire before completing the full period of service. To give an unconditional right of earlier retirement, as sei. out in this claim, would place an undue burden on the superannuation fund, and would affect the whole public service-

On the claim by the A.S.R.S. that the division barrier between the first and second divisions of the railway service b> removed, the board unanimously states: “The board recognises that in a classified service, such as that of th? Railway Department, specialisation of duties commences from the beginning of a member’s Service, more especially a* between the work of the first and second divisions. Hence it is apparent that any scheme for modifying the conditions on which members of the second division can be promoted to the first division must of necessity apply only to junior members. We do not suggest that, so far as adult members are concerned, the genera! nature or standard of the examination should be altered in the direction of reducing its value as a test. We are, however, of the opinion that the matter of providing further facilities for promising members, more particularly junior members, of the second division to qualify for promotion to the first division, is worthy of consideration, and we recommend that it be referred to a special committee, comprising representatives of the department and the A.S.R.S.”

STATUS OF CASUAL HANDS. No recommendation was made on the claim that, as the wages of railway employees depend largely upon the profits earned by the Railway Department, th? members of the second division be given some representation on the management. There was no recommendation with regard to the claim by the A.S.R.S. that the status of casual hands be considered with a view to having them placed on the permanent staff after five years’ service, the departmental advocate having stated that, in prax*tice, casual tradesmen in the workshops, if eligible, were appointed to the permanent staff after five years’ service. In a minority report, Messrs. H. J. Hunter and M. J. Mack state they are unable to concur in the decision of a majority of the board, by reason of the fact that it does not embrace those casuals in the goods-sheds who were eligible for permanent appointment when they first joined the railway service. These men, in many instances, have given long veers of faithful service, and are still termed “casual.” They recognise that a certain amount of casual labour is necessary, blit are of the opinion that th? number of men coming under this designation can be considerably reduced bv giving effect to the claim. They .therefore recommend the adoption of the claim.