TRAMWAY GRIEVANCES.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16723, 5 January 1920, Page 6

TRAMWAY GRIEVANCES.

BIG MEETING YESTERDAY. A packed meeting of tho employees of tho Christcliurch Tramway Board was held in tho Trades Hall yesterday morning, when tho recent abortive conference in "Wellington with representatives of employing bodies throughout tho Dominion was exhaustively discussed. None of tho business dono was disclosed to tho press, but speaking to a reporter at tho close of tho meetj ing, Mr H. T. Armstrong, secretary of ; tho Union, said it consisted of a dis--1 cussion on tho stops tho Union would l have to take in tho event of a satisfacI torv agreement not being arrived at in tho* near futuro with tho employers. "Something will certainly have to bo done," said Mr Armstrong, "to put tramway employees on an equal basis, so far as pay is concerned, with other workers. At tho present timo a tramway man is paid far less than a general 7 labourer, and tho only way ho can 1 make a living wage is by working over- , timo. We contend that ho should bo 3 ablo to earn a living wago without it j being neccssary for him to work overtime. • » . "What abont tho rumonr that the men aro going to strike?" asked tho . reporter. "Wo havo not oven discussed that I so far, and T need hardly say, so far as I am concerned at any rate, that is tho D last thing wo want to be driven to," was the reply.