STUDY OF RAILWAY SHIFT CONDITIONS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29511, 12 May 1961, Page 18

STUDY OF RAILWAY SHIFT CONDITIONS

(New Zealanjt Press Association)

WELLINGTON. May 11. The Minister of Bailways (Mr McAlpine) today told a meeting of the four Railway service organisations that the Government proposed to appoint a one-man commission to make a special investigation of the conditions met with today in the operation of trains by men on rostered night shift work. Mr McAlpine said that in most trades and occupations where shift work was accepted,. men worked regular shifts and knew from week to week or month to month what hours they would be working. ‘"lTie special conditions of operating trains do not allow this regular approach and in certain branches of the service a man might work early morning on Monday, afternoon on Tuesday, all night on Wednesday and so on. These hours may commonly be varied at very short notice. This has long been recognised as one of the disadvantages of railway operation, but has become more acute recently with the shortage of staff and the high volume of traffic carried over the last four months.” he said. “I realise that the hours worked during this period by some of our staff would strain any man’s loyalty to the limit. People impatient of delays in railway traffic over recent months have no conception of the efforts some members of the staff have been called upon to make to maintain the schedules that we have been making. Recruiting Staff

“I am anxious to recruit staff and to retain the services of men who have had many years of valuable experience and whom we can ill afford to lose. To achieve this I must ensure that railwaymen are being adequately compensated for the erratic

nature of night work in this service.” Mr McAlpine said. “It is not intended that the commission should make a broad and comprehensive investigation of the railway service such as was undertaken by the Allum Commission, but to coniine itself to certain particularly acute problems for which the Government is urgently desiring a solution.

“Some of the matters to be considered would be within the jurisdiction of the Railways Tribunal, but it is clear that other matters which must be considered concurrently are not within the jurisdiction of that body and the survey which the Government requires could not, therefore, be adequately undertaken by the tribunal. "The commission will have all the necessary powers to investigate whatever matters seem to it relevant. It will hear what evidence it requires and the Government confidently expects the cooperation of the four railways associations in expediting the investigation and in confining it to matters which are clearly relevant. Neither the Government nor the men concerned would wish to take any step which would delay the completion of the investigation,” Mr McAlpin, said.