WHAT TRAM MEN WANT

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 962, 1 November 1910, Page 2

WHAT TRAM MEN WANT

DOMINION AWARD PROPOSALS. AN-INCREASE ALL HOUND. Proposals embodied in the Dominion award which tho tramway employees' unions are seeking to havo enforced throughout New Zealand -were laid before the Tramways Committee of the City Council at it's meeting yesterday afternoon. The period for which' the Wellington award was made expired on October 18, but its provisions remain legally in force until a new award has been made. The proposed Dominion award is a comprehensive document which cannot here be exhaustively compared with the conditions obtaining, but in the main the new demands, if granted, would involve important concessions, to the men. This being true of Wellington, applies with still greater force to Christehurch and Duucdin, where ruling conditions and rates of pay are rather less favourable to : the men than in Wellington. Outstanding features in the new demands are the suggested increased rates of pay for motormen, conductors,- and other employees, and the extension of holidays. At present, the maximum annual leave granted a' tramway employee in Wellington is a period of eight days. The men demand that the minimum annual holiday shall bo eight days and the maximum, to be granted employees of six years' standing and over, sixteen days. Other new features provide that 30 minutes shall be allowed for writing up a No. 1 accident report and that a Teceipt shall be issued to conductors for all money paid in. The last request cannot bp granted under the new system of pay-iii machines which has been established in Wellington, and since the system is working satisfactorily it is most unlikely that the employing municipality will be-willing to accede to the ie- ' quest. Another, item certain to be contested is the demand that men shall be permitted .access to their "records" on making application. Under the existing system in Wellington these "records" of employees are regarded by the Tramways Department as strictly private. Under the existing. law the "Dominion award" will presumably have to be obtained, if at all, by separate proceedings in each centre. Rates of Pay. Following is the schedule of wages embodied 'in the Dominion award .as presented :— Motormen.—First year's service, Is. ljd. per hour; over one and under two, Is. 2d. per hour; over two and under three, Is. 25-d. per hour; over three years, Is. 3d. At present there are two grades of motormen, paid respectively Is. Id. and Is. ljd. per hour. Conductors (electric or cable}.—First year, Is. per hour; over one and under two, Is. Old. per hour; over two and under three, Is. Id. per hour; over three vears, Is. ljd. per hour. " First-class conductors at present., receive Is. Id. per hour, second-class, Is. per honr, and third-class Hid- V ev ntmr - As regards other classes of employees, increases of varying amounts are sought. It is provided that workers under - twenty-one years., shall be paid the following .minimum rate- of wages per week:—Under 17, 155.; over 17 and under 18, Jfil; over 18 and under 19, £1 55.; over 19 and under 20, £1 10s.; over 20 and under 21, £1 15s. These rates are. not to apply to motormen, brakesmen, gripmen, conductors, apprentices, or, to any youths outside the workshops. Men working continuously on nightshift are to be paid time and'a quarter, and daymen on night-shift time and a' half. Overtime and Sunday shifts to be paid for at double rates. Power-house firemen, greasers, handymen, and trimmers, when employed cleaning boilers, etc., are to be paid 3d. an hour over, and above as dirt money. The average of engine-drivers on tramway services shall be lis. per shift of eight hours; Sunday work time and a half. Working Hours, An outstanding feature .■ in regard to hours of work is the provision that motormen, brakesmen, and conductors, booked lip on late'specials to go out after. 9,p.m., shall be paid a minimum of two hours' pay for such' work. Provision is made for overtime payment at time and a half and double time rates with partial exemptions and variations. "Call-back" duty is to be paid at overtime rates. On Sundays time and a half for all employees included in the agreement. Motormen, gripmen, brakesmen, and conductors booked for duty on Sundays shall receive a minimum payment of Wo (2) hours at time and a half rates. On Good Friday and Christmas Day all employees included in the agreement to be paid ordinary time, and in addition all time worked on either of the said days shall bo paid for at double tinio rates. The proposals provide . for tho free passes in. cars of all employees, other than casual men,-and also for time for' signing on and off. . • ■ ■ . ■ Complaints by the Public. _ Any employee' reported by the public for any oifence -involving dismissal, suspension,, or loss of standing,. shall receive notification thereof within twentyfour hours after receipt, and if the offence is denied by the employee, the person complaining shall be required to substantiate the charge' in the presence of an officer of the service and the employee concerned, failing which the employee .shall be exonerated, and tho report cancelled. All departmental reports must be in writing and in tho hands of a departmental officer within twenty-four hours of the alleged offence, and the employee concerned shall be notified thereof within twenty-four hours of the alleged committal of- the offence, and any inquiry in connection therewith shall be commenced within two days of the receipt of the report, Sundays and holidays excepted. It the charge against any employee is not substantiated, all time occupied by the said employee in personally reporting-to head office when instructed to do so shall be paid for' at the ordinary rate of pay. Thirty minutes shall bo allowed for writing up a No. 1 accident report, said thirty minutes to be paid for at schedule rates. All men reporting personally 'at the offico to be met punctually at appointed time, and no. entry shall be made oh any man's record in cases where the man. has not been censured. All men requiring to do so to be permitted access to their record 'on application previously, made. Preference. Provision is made for preference -to unionists. It shall be a condition of employment that employees should join and remain members of the' union. In. default an employee is to be dismissed. Anybody voluntarily resigning from the union shall be liable to dismissal, and shall receive n notification from tho tramways manager that he is so'liable, and unless : he rejoins the union within one week from the dato of notice, ho will be dismissed. The award as a whole seems remarkably complete. It even contemplated the conditions meted out to tramway bandsmen on broken shift.