TWO REST PAUSES SOUGHT FOR RAILWAYMEN

Chronicle (Levin), 10 December 1946, Page 8

TWO REST PAUSES SOUGHT FOR RAILWAYMEN

WELLINUTON, Dec. 9. "The obscrvaiice - of two (l.ail.y restjjupscs is a rapidly? groxving* hidustria-^ _ j.rai'.tifa, ' said Mr. T. F. CU'blue -before tf> Linilwiiy Tribunal when asking on--l ( half of Ihe four iiulustrial organisatit.iis witliin the railway service tliat i this provision be incorporated in rail- . j wny «'ondit ions. I Mr. (iebliie inptanc.ed plumliers as Nuiviiig recently ohtained this oonco.ssion as an awanl eondition. Arr. (lehhie said tliat railway workers, iiecause of the recommendat ion of tlie eonimission to this efl'ect in 1945, ha.iT boped to be aniong tlie first. 1o enjoy oflieial iiiessing upon two dailv rest pauses, but tlie trilmnal had ordered the institution of oue onlv iiecauso of diflicultics in its ge.neral applioation. Now tiie'railway workers hoped tliey woiild not i>e aniong tlie last to receive this eoncossitjti. Tlie trilmnal reserved its deeision. A joint elaifti suliniittcd by Mr. (lebbie on behalf of -tlie four se.rviec organjisalions in Ihe Iiailway Pepartnient to tlie Eailways Trilmnal today, ealled for an increase of 2/(5 in the daily hut allowance paid to maintenanee men. These niori, he said, oeeupied kev positions in proniotiug the efficiency of the serviee. it was important that their work shonld be niade as eongenial as jiossible. Their main grievance was that tlrey were required to livo in huts. The present allowance of 4/6 was not considered sufficient to cover liviug pxpenses at the rate of 1/6 a meal whieh was thought barelv sufficient. Three meals dailv exhansted the allowance. Apart froni tlie ineonveniences suffered by the hut dwellers, said Mr. Gebbie, sympathetic consideration should be g'iven to the position of their wives and families. , • Mr. Stovenson, for the department, said in the department 's opinion a siiigle tnan would have established himself fullv in a newT localitv xvithin six woeks. After this tinie he should not need eompensation for loss of liome comforts. Othei joint elaiius called for the pavmeut of all the time taken by hut dwellers in travelling to and from work and from their huts to their liomes at weekends. Botli were ibjected to by tlie depart- \ . rnent.