RAILWAY EMPLOYEES' GRIEVANCE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 549, 2 July 1909, Page 4

RAILWAY EMPLOYEES' GRIEVANCE.

. ,"Tiie Appeal Board Farce" is one of tho headings to nn article published in the current number of the Railway TiVK view? in which sti'c.nK complaint is made, ftgainat ,tho action oi the Miuistor for

Railways in overruling docisiohs. of tho' Appeal Board, established, in connection with tho railways sorvico of tho country. According to the statements published, the Minister linn administered a severe check to, the work'of tho Board by exorcising his power of veto both in tho case of majority, as well as unanimous, dccisioiiß by the Appeal Board. "Members may well ask," so tho .report referred to runs,, "'what is the use of goingto the . Appeal Board in face of what has recently happened 1" It should bo explained that tho Board consists of a District Court Judge, a representative of tho Railways Doparthicnt, and a ropre-,. sentativo of the employees. Appeals aro carried to .this Board when members of the Borvioo consider'that they- have beon troatotl Unfairly in any way. In tho timo of Mr; IlAa-JoNEs, late Minister for Railways, 'that' gontloma'n is reported to have said, in roply to a deputation urg' ing fchatxtho Minister's power to voto decisions of the Board should be abolished:. "You must first show n>6.that tliat power lifts boon exercised in contradiction to the findings of tho Board!. So far as I am concerned, the deoisions .of the l Board havo been respected." We believe this to have boon the case, but his successor, the, Hon. J, A, Miliar, has taken up a' vory different attitude. 'In no fewer than four recent, cases, he has overruled decisions of the Board, to the .detriment of em* ployces, To/quote again from, tho* BelrtCU>i V [ : ■'■ ' ': ■'.•.■■' ' ' '-• ' . ''■■"■ >'■'... x

"Here ,we have recently four oaees,-vetoed by the, present Minister., ; Well might mem* bers BBK of what use is the Board? It is simply resolving itself into a farco, and . a waiite of tinio to tho members who eit on, it. ; A member [of; tho . railways v-. sorvioe] who: goes beforo the Board with his grievance, propared to defend liis position and lay oil tho ■ fftots ■ surrounding: his oaso beforojjio toembeTß of. tho Board, staid not bo afraid of any other power but tho dne he has faced openly stopping'.iu .and teversina the decision arrived at; nftor his' arid the Departmonta.l; Bidos of thfeCaso; have been thoroughly investigated.!' ' '' ■.:...- ■■'■'' '■•■

It is furthor pointed out that the Minister presumably boforo acting consults tho Uoad Office. "Hero," according to the report in the Review, "wo have tho s6le cause of tho trouble." The Department, after being represented before tho Board, and its attitude defended by tho ablest officer it can put forward, has another opportunity after the decision has been forwarded to tho Minister—and in the absence, of any argument from' tho men's side—of putting the position forcibly before tho Minister. This is a very improper state of things. If tho Appeal Board is to be of value to the mon, its decisions should not be challenged b&vo in cases involving large questions of policy, which should receive tho attention of Parliament, Mr. Millar, wo note, has stated in the south that he h&s only exorcised his power of veto in two cases—in ono ho accuses tho Board of having gono outeido its powors, and ' in tho second he considered the public safety would have been endangered. The Minister may havo been right in theso casea and the Board wrong—wo do not pretend to know the 'details. 'But what of the other two cases? They are set out in tho Railway Review of to-day's date. . Has he forgotten them 1 Unlesß tho Minister can give a complete answer tq tha complaints made concerning his interference with the Appeal Board's decisions, hb will find that ho is making serious troublo for himsolfi