MANY GRIEVANCES

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1085, 25 March 1911, Page 6

MANY GRIEVANCES

DISSATISFIED RAILWAY j EMPLOYEES* LITTLE PIN-PRICKS. FORTY-EIGHT HOURS' WEEK WANTED. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.! Auckland, March 24. The disaffection amongst railway employees in practically every branch of tho service is said to bo becoming more and more pronounced. Some interesting remarks wero made to a "Herald" representative yesterday by Mr. J. Mark, general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, concerning the grievances of tho men. Mr. Mack is at present making a tour of the branches of the Auckland district. In referring to the new society formed by the engine drivers, firemen, and cleaners, Mr. Mack said he thought that tho majority of those men were satisfied that they had taken a retrograde step. What was affecting tho men mostly at the present timo were their grievances, many of which were of such a petty naturo that they could bo easily remedied with very little extra cost to the Department. Thero were, of course, others of more serious import. For instance, they wanted a 48 hours week for all branches of the service. They did not ask for an eight hour day. because they recognised the difficulties in granting such a request, especially in the train-running departments. However, they did consider a 48 hour week was reasonable. This would allow tho Department to work a man ten or twelve hours one day, and proportionately shorten it tho next. At present the only men in the service who had a 48 hours week were the engine drivers, firemen, and guards.

Another grievance referred to was that the men when off duty were not permitted to leave their'homo station without permission. At country stations this was most inconvenient and disadvantageous to tho men. Then', as to the shunters, it was only* reasonable to expect that men engaged in shunting should be paid full shunters' wages. It was easily the most dangerous work in tho service. Yet they found porters engaged in shunting at porters' rates of pay, and even boys at five shillings a day had been put on. That sort of thing was unfair to the officer in charge, and tho risk was too great to tho boys on account of their inexperience.

A further grievance was that many men, principally single men, were sent away from their homo station to do relieving work on what was known as temporary transfer. Theso men received 110 additional remuneration, notwithstanding tho fact that they were compelled, as it were, to keep two homes. Tlie way in which the Department define sleeping accommodation was also referred to by Mr. Mack. AVlien a man was away and 110 sleeping accommodation. could bo found for him, lie was entitled to os. for tlie night, but when acoramodation was supplied this allowance was reduced to two .or tliroo shillings a night. The Department, however, had some peculiar ideas as to what constituted "sleeping* accommodation." They put a man into a wooden hut absolutely devoid of bedding, and for this luxury deducted from tlie" lodging allowance provided by tho regulations tho sum of two shillings, whereas a man could go to a good hotel and get a comfortable bed for eighteeu'pence. That tho society considered was an unjust proceeding, because it meant that if a member was to occupy tho hut it would bo necessary for him to take bedding from his home, which would cost a shilling each wav for cartage, apart from the inconvenience. Mr. Mack added that there were many little pin-prisks too numerous to mention that wore irritating tlie members of tho railwav service. In tho Auckland district, for instance, tho men had icccntlv been forbidde-i to use the telephone to ascertain tho time when they were required for d.ity. In some cases men had to walk from two 10 three miles to find out the time booked for them to start work.