RAILWAY SERVICE

Wairarapa Daily Times, 15 August 1936, Page 8

RAILWAY SERVICE

40-HOUR WEEK INSTITUTED.

WELLINGTON, Friday

The Minister of Railways, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, stated to-day, on be- ( half of the Government, that it had , been decided to institute, the 40-hour ] week in the railway service as from . Ist September. “An earlier announce- , ment regarding the Government’s decision in the matter,” said Mr Sullivan, “has been withheld because of .discussions that were taking place with service organisations regarding details of the operation of the 40-hour week. These discussions are now finalised, and have resulted in agreements which will ■enable the shorter week to be put into operation with a minimum of cost and inconvenience.” , It was agreed between the Minister and representatives of the three service organisations, namely, the New Zealand Locomotive Engineers, Firemen s and Cleaners’ Association, the Lew Zealand Railway Tradesmen’s Association, and the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, that certain anomalies should remain over for future consideration, and that the payment of overtime rates would continue to be based on hours at present being worked. Commenting to-night on the Minister’s statement, Mr G. H. Mackley, General Manager of Railways, said the introduction of the 40-hour week would necessitate the employment of more men, but until the Department had had an adequate opportunity of adjusting hours, it had been agreed that the present hours of work would be the hours on which any overtime would be based. Railway employees recognised that it would be impossible to put the 40-houi week into force one hundred per cent from Ist September, and they were quite prepared to give the Department a reasonable opportunity of adjusting hours to meet the position. The Department would have to do the best it could to take on additional staff, but that should not be a problem, because the number on the waiting list ran into thousands. — (P .A.)