TRAMWAYMEN'S WAGES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19164, 22 November 1927, Page 12

TRAMWAYMEN'S WAGES.

TO THE BDITOB O* TUB PBBSS. Sj r —While advocating his own, and other Citizens' Association nominees', candidature for the Tramway Board at tbe Chamber of Commerce Hall on Thursday evening last, Mr J. A. Flesher is reported to have aaid that the Tramway Employees' Union had submitted demands for a new award which would involve an additional expenditure of £IO,OOO a year if granted, and ho wondered if they thought the trams were run for their special benefit. The Union certainly has submitted proposals for a new award and is asking for slight increases in wages and improved conditions, but I can assure Mr Flesher that there is nothing further from the minds of the trarawaymen than the idea that the service is being maintained for their special benefit, their sole desire being to obtain wages and conditions of work commensurate with the service they are rendering. Proof of this is the fact that, with very few exceptions, the wages and conditions asked for by us are only those that have already been granted to employees in some of the other tramway centres. Mr Flesher goes on to quote the., wages received by the highest grade motormon and conductors for a 4S-hour week, which are entirely incorrect and misleading, as the amount the highest grade motorman would receive for 48 hours would be £4 14s, his rate of pay being Is lljd per hour. The same grade conductor would receive £4 10s, his rate being Is 10$ d, while according to Mr Flesher the amounts would be £o Is 8d and £4 17s 6d respectively. Considering that it takes a conductor five years to reach this grade, and a motorman an equal length of time after he becomes a motorman to reach his, we consider that our claims for increased wages are perfectly justified and would not induce any unprejudiced person to wonder if we thought the trams were being run for our special benefit, nor to believe that the tramwaymen were a well-satisfied body of men and that it required any agitators to induce them to make their claims.— Yours, ete., ERNEST SNOW. Secretary, Tramway Employees' Union. Christchurch, November 21st.