New Pay: Railwaymen Not Impressed

Chronicle (Levin), 11 March 1949, Page 5

New Pay: Railwaymen Not Impressed

Press Association)

(Per

WELLINGTON, March 10. "The Railway Tribunal 's announcement can both literally and metaphoric ally be designated a 'twopenny halfpenny ' decision and it will t'ail dismalh to arouse any entliuiasni in the breasts of railway tradesmen either for their work or for the people responsible for the whole twopenny halfpenny affair, " said .a statenient issued today by Mr. T. F. Gebbie, secretary of the New Zealand Railway Tradesmen 's Association. "Already our branches all over the country are expressing their dissat.isfaetion and disgust with the nature of an increase which has further reduced the tradesmen 's margin and the only effect of which will be to take from the tradesmafi" his pride in his trade and his sense of responsibility to his job." The statement claimed that the' Tribunal 's announcement bore no relation to the clairas made by service organisations or to the evidenee submitted to the Tribunal. The statement also claimed that the recommendations of the Margins and Anomalies Committee had been entii'ely ignored. The 21d an hour granted by the Railways Induslrial Tribunal only partly removed the anomaly which existed between ruling rates in outside industries and those paid by the Railways i Department, said a statement by the executive eouncil of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants when commenting tliis evening on the Tribunal 's decision. The council said it was of opinion that to maintain a position approaching parity, members of the A.S.R.S. should participate in the full in any increase by way of a general wage pronouncement.