Transport Board’s Sickness Benefits

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30469, 17 June 1964, Page 14

Transport Board’s Sickness Benefits

“I’m shocked that .we have such an old-fashioned attitude to sick leave,” said Mr S. E. Boanas at a meeting of the Christchurch Transport Board’s finance committee “We must be the only industry in Christchurch which is so niggardly.” The committee (which Is the whole board) had just heard a deputation from the Tramway Employees’ Sick Benefit Society say r that the board’s drivers received only half a week’s wages in the first week of sickness, while boards in the other main centres allowed drivers 15 days* sick leave a year. The deputation asked for a similar scheme. Mr E.. J. Bradshaw, chairman of the finance committee, said he- was not prepared to agree that the board was niggardly. He wanted to see the report which the committee had called’ for on sickness benefits in other centres. However, .the Christchurch board’s sickness provisions had not been reviewed for nine years, and it was time they were, Mr Bradshaw said. Mr N. G. Hattaway said he was surprised that the board’s scheme was so poor. The deputation was led by Mr D. N. Delaney, president of the Christchurch branch of the Tramways Union, and the drivers’ case was put by the

branch’s secretary (Mr L. C. J. Southon). “If a man’s off for any length of time it’s pretty tough,” Mr Southon said. “V e are. now at the tail, end of the public'transport service in this respect” He said that a good sickness benefit scheme would help considerably to retain staff. The board still had 70 men who had their tramdrivers' tickets (compared with only 40 in Wellington), and they were the hard core that the board needed to run the industry. Mt Southon said the board had better schemes for its clerical workers and inspectors,. and other local bodies had good Sickness schemes. He said that the drivers had a voluntary sickness benefit scheme of their own which paid members £2 for the first week of sickness and 30s a week for up to six months. The board decided to review its scheme after receiving a report on sickness benefit schemes operating elsewhere.