RAILWAY SERVANTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 745, 18 February 1910, Page 3

RAILWAY SERVANTS.

/CONFERENCE DECISIONS. : The conference of tha Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants continued its sittings'yesterday, when .'the following resolutions were, agreed, to:—, ..Leave of Absence. ■ . • That ten days' leave be granted,to all members of the Second Division and that an;'.additional day. be. granted .'for , each five years' service' after 15 years... The Department, havo recognised this principle'.(although such principlo is not a regulation) by granting members when retiring on superannuation,, according to their length of service, a period of full pay and a free pass up to th' Tee months, and it is felt .that the long service should be recognised before leaving the Service in the manner indicated. This would then.ensnre that, all members would be placed, on an equal footing, as in such a large Department there are many members who/hayo served ii ; number of years and retire from the Service before being entitled to superannuation benefits. The present regulations' provide:—"To each member of the'Second-Division entitled to overtime' for each continuous year's service, seven working days in each calendar year," .such leave to include the four Departmental holidays.'. ■ : That,to each member not entitled to overtime ten 'working days be granted, including above-mentioned Departmental holidays. •,: : ' 'Lodging Allowances. A prolonged discussion ensued on the question of lodging allowance paid to members when away from headquarters on duty. Every member of the Second Division, ; with the ' exception 'of guards, enginemen, and firemen, are paid 4s. per. night,' and where sleeping acebmrabdat Hon is- provided 2s. per night. Guards, enginemen, and-firemen, are paid ss. per' night, and where sleeping accommodation is.provided ■ 2s. 6d. per night.. It was decided to request the Minister to increase the amount of lodging 'allowance -to ss. per. night to. all members : whore no sleeping accommodation, is, provided. That when members are incapacitated through accidents:. received., in .:the discharge of their duties they receive full pay.". At present they are only allowed half-pay under tha Workers' Compensation Act, which provides for accident pay only, where a meihbef has been off for a-period of not less than seven days..

;.'" Long .Hours. 'That the attention of the conference be drawn to; the-'-unsatisfactory.- method ■adopted by tho" Department of booking employees off work- between trains on Sundays, thereby : causing men to',work ;ovcr. a long period for a day's work. Instances wero quoted where members of tho traffic department have to work a. period'of. 16 hours to-get.fdur hours'-pay. the periods ..between., booking, on 'and. oft being in instances'quoted is Jowastwenty<fivo minutes. : i'Previ6us.:to:,tUis-.,arrang«-.' .menti'one man was brought for,,four hours and received a half-dayVpay,'an-other, member being then .brought on to work a "shift; of eight.'hours.- ; ; The present '.'method of' paying for ■•Sunday; duty; came, in" for a great ; dcal ;of-.adverse, com--and -the -opinion .was, freely ex-' pressed that this is one. grievance : which would be rectified-, under "the Arbitration. Court. ""'"'.■'■ ' V ■""';'■ ;: " • An Ancient Structure. , Complaint was, received .from the Nelson section regarding; the>sleeping accommodation supplied-to/the., members of the' locomotive and traffic;departments.at Tadraor. . This'hut'is-one of the few remaining; links: with v the past,, in ■ regard to car-building.'■"■••'lt served? the' Department for many years as a smoking-car, eventually having to give away to more up^to-dato.] vehicles, .and . has now been. tur'u'ed : to 'profitablo.'a'ccount l by"'tho Department. - The; engineman/" fireman, and guard have; to sleep in this structure four' nights a Week, resulting in a.'saying in. the payment" of lodging allowance to theDepartment of, 30s. per,,week. The' dimensions of the! hut'afo'iift'.'by six, and it is 6ft.-high: There aro throe bunks, two on,.one. side, placed- above .each other, separated by a space-of 2ft.'lOin. Chr the' opposite; side is the third-bunk. Between; the. rows of., bunks is a 12in. .space. It is .earnestly hoped that, tho Department, will. now. realise/ that ■ sufficient- reyenuo:haa been derived: from ( this structure to warrant, somo. improvement.