TELEGRAPH OFFICE

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1666, 5 February 1913, Page 6

TELEGRAPH OFFICE

vjl;, 7 AUEGED DISCONTPT. ; OE GRIEVANCES. :'§-^s% ; ' : (To!the Editor.).. ,' ''■;;;.^,*Sir, ; — Great dissatisfaction -exists' in the .^.vif^Telegrhph.Office,at the.present time, ow-F!-\'";iiig.,to:!tho.i'Taff:being undermanned,' and f.j.i'.the.ipay so.lnadequate for. tho. class, of : 'v.'.work- performed, by. the telegraph oper-, : :';j > ator. That tlio Now Zealand'operator ;is j'',"--yin high favour in Australia is amply veri- •.'!-" fi'ed by the way in which his services find ',''-.favour' there at a salary commencing at / ;ios. : ; 'and']2s.'.-Gd.' per day, and accounts men leaving here in numbers, ■ '•'.,';arid'thero aro others to follow, all in ■''■: of a higher remuneration. If wo :.'"';aro to .believe what the. Assistant Super--...vinterident says;;eloven operators arelcav-- ';': ;ing.;Auokland.;this 'month,' and to ;my {] ■■ • -.knowledge' three f operators- have resigned V..'-... .from within, -tho last throe V days,.so.'thoroughly aro they disgusted , '.■ with tho service. ■We understand twenty '.'[:< : :'. 'hoys, from ,tho gallery will bo availablo i;.-;!■'I I '.'';shortly;' .however, -they cannot tako the v.iVfi. plilces.of/tlioso; meii ,:wh'o have' resigned,' '; ' i: ;'ns ; they aro.'-practically only,learners, \ and ; ; )'■. .would be all at sea;oh- a busy cirouit. "'.'••-;. in-.Wellington, are, in their . ■ ;. ; turn,',called-.upon.to' work ;on Sunday v.'r, : ' ; e'venings,'usually',tw.o, or ,three,hours, for ;'-'J ; which payment;-..-■ is ..made, .but ;>/,'*■ ,"tiuio6ff"jgranted. .How.would a business faro,;if,'they:'adopted such an atti-. .-:;..V!?;tudo.to theio employees? Eecentlyseveral '?<.";''! telegraphists sat for the Senior Civil Serexamination, but thoy. had to work iWV'.i a-,;half-day,:-or,:moro atsithe Telegraphbefore sitting. It'.would bo inter-' ; .';«;'csting.to knowiif this.happened.in any >'.'-'.;v.hthcr.;G.overnment.Department:..'Owiiirr to ,';'s>-shortness,of-men, annual-leave is-iii dan--'."V-t'cr'of being hung up.'i.-To. prove that ; wo 'AiQ - are -undermanned: ;Several:; promoted' tele-' ,'. rV this iieek : been:doiiig,duty : '\'-: vyin. the :telegraph,;office \to copo 'with: the; : ;' r ;\ routine work.. Operators in:the /Welling-, '.',;' .''ton office are'often called,iipon to.perform: :.'•/< seven, hb'ursv. duty straight, eating lunch v : j-whilo; .working.-, in; addition'to; this/iwo ; .; -liave a- .''boss'; parading up and down the ":',' :room,' all: dnyji watching; us,-''' and. : if ;we ... hdppen.to"speak,;to.an;.oporat6r alongside ,;;•.. us,,we are promptly-!told;.we-are maldng '■-;' a .too much noise. : aWhe'n' we/took'tip duty '■■::■ in our new offico we wore promised twenty ..minutes' spell on a/straight-duty,,:but, ■ '' -, -this has 'not yet materialised.,. -.'Eecehtly, '.-" one of our operators ,was, away ill for ; J .i;' about/ten days; he-forwarded a,doctor's . "certificate, in'compliance • with" ffio'i rules,; ;.;,'. biit his pay ,wai-stopped,for,tho period - - : : he was aosent. This year he-hasa week '.'-.■ taken;-off liis' leave-:':as.-.w^li.for,i being i v:. ;absent— punishments.for(one, offence. '.-.:'■ :,Truly. .British,!fair,-play!'.;,, ~,'';';,;.: ' ■% : , r,,.'.-.Wireless-stations outside of .'New Zoa,'.''.,,i land are, offering, operators. i 6180: per an- "'.',-', --'.num. .to! start j< and ,an. ordinary,'operator \■■■ ;. ; "' takes ■ eight 'years ■ or.imore ito -reach that *;'' .salary. Can, jouljwpndori.at.the'.,resigna- • • :tibns?< Another bug-bear with operators ,' ; : .. : has three,px--...-4. amihations : ..'to: : negotiate—oiio before'ho- • '';'■- can go, beyond .6110 : another., v.; before ; ho:, can go ; -beyond'. iE165,.- and. '•■ an-' ■■■ : 'i.other';'at';'i£22o. ; The first two 'exa'minaV ■; : ,;';,;tions'are> farcical,•• inasmuch as they^have .;%>'. ' very .'little, if.:iinyV bearing; onjbur work. 1 ';-:..;.' iThen, again,' Another bone of'.'contention .■■ •.; > is Head Office, Accountants', Branch; A. : .,.i:elc'.V''known''as "upstairs."' These clerks' •• ' work :9 a.m. ;to• ;s ,! 'p.m. daily/; except :; - ! , Saturdayj'vwhen, their'-'duty-is .9 to • noon! ~";,■ -In .'addition, they .receive' Saints' days, iV'v'f.'jt,faster four ;days>iand,' at Christmas !•'.. :" abbut.a.week, they receive the same ;.,' .."salary; and annual leave'as a telegraphist :'.;;; who is on duty day in :, '.',■ tlio,year,"bar .his annual,leave, the mi.ni-r->i'.-,. inuin, duty>on'.Saturday-ibeing four hours.K'i r 'i'lt - may \be ■ said -that these,: clerks. 'have •., : special qualifications, ,but what ■of the ■ '"{■•.- special''qualiiScatiops. 'bi'■', a ,Megr'aplust? ;;'" ■': ;Ho,'works all hours,. and~leayeß : off at all i. j \.; -hdurs.v Cases .have e been, ; ' lijiowri . whero *%y\ operators .doing 1 p.m.'t,6'B jp.iriV have '; been kept on .duty till midnight,' for which .^. i ;.'V:!tKby; , feedwd\n'pthiiig'extra.,'-' , '' i '-.'- -i -" ' ■ >:'v ;V"-Iu couclusionj ; r'tr'ust you will givelrhis -;./"lengthy lo'tter' duo piiblicaHori in : yonr ~ •'.'■''.: ':; colnnins',' 'asvhd 'dolibt it' will do what is

Vi! intended, viz.: : catch the eye of ; the Prime I 1 ■'.'■ >.;Ministery -the Postmaster-General,' tho - \: ;:threo;neffly-appointed ; Ctommissioners, and .-- ■':'." !■• fast, : but not -least,' the ' public, ; whb often think that a Government job is a "catch"—l am, etc., , DOT DASH. '.-., Wellington,' February 3.

.' "> > '" THE OTHER SIDE, '

interview-with JIB. W. E. MORRIS

!;:; Interviewed relative to the alleged grievi, ,:• ances under which telegraph operators are •. ';*: supposed to, labour,' the' Secretary of the'. ,\;' : : Post and Telegraph Department: (Mr. W. ; ■>'.;. ;;R:, Morris), .expressed, his. surprise thaftinv i'stead,p,f being brought .under, his notice ;•:'. direct. .they. : should reach: 'him ..through :; ".'lhe/chanußlfof the. public-,press?! .... ; ' ;''lt'is true," ho said,- "that there-has ~;• .been a temporary shortage'of : staff bogot- , den partly of a large/number of men be- ' ,'iing absent on vacation leave, and partly ■'.;',- Iby'reason,of an;exceptional number of-, :.; ; being 'on tho sick list, and,, in, a ;' 'minor' degree,- to resignations.. No offic© - '.''-would bo justified 'in Maintaining a staff ~ "'providing for. unforseen. emergencies each : ,■':.'■; as sickness or retirements; to do so would " -amply justify exception being taken to ...the needless, inflation of official espendii '■) ( V,' I turb.. The staff of each office is\ as a rule, ~: ' proportionate to; the normal. requirements .■"-.-' thereof, including a sufficient number of . men' to, enable leave to be taken. When

~!, na«•abnormal demand is made,.prompt : '"■'/• measures are taken to restore, the'balance 1-■ .by the transfer of officers from-less busy . j offices; t '.pehding',saeh''..<r'einforccnient; the! - office.ra' are , exjfccted to loyally support the executive by an extra effort. Yet what ' .•". do wo find.in Wellington? An attempt i'-. to'make it appear that officers are over'worked and vmffler-paid; whereas,it may - ■.-:'- ., fairly be claimed that the hours are short .-':.-and the .pay adequate.. .As. regard? v ,the ■'number of hours served ■•by an; officer 1 do- ■■ - ,ing what is know&":as\straight'dutyV'ho is . supposed to do seven' hours,, but an arI, rangemcht has been made to give him a . ■'twenty, minutes' spell, which reduces'his ';, hours of attendance to. six hours forty, "'' '•'; ,iriiinutes per.day,-which 'can hardly.be'' '' 'regarded, as/excessive.,"" ' : '; '" " Then'as to pay: « cadet trained at ' the expenso of the State commences at, : Jay,, tho age of 16 in' the Eighth Class, 'with a salary per annum, 1 rising ~".'. to JJUO by-,-four-annual increments of £15 eijch," and' a lodging allowance . J>f'.£2o for'the first year, <£20 tho second. jind i£l2*tho third year when stationed '■/. away from home. Surely this'cannot be regarded -as insufficient pay for a lad ■,; under twenty, who'"for!' tljq 'gredtor^part of his time may •bo!'regarded ■as'ilearninj. , ' :his trade at the expense of tho'State. On • attaining 'the maximum "of'the "''Eighth Class an Cfficer is required, to demonstrate his fitness for promotion to the Seventh Class 'by passing .an' examination wh'ch is mainly, a test of' liis; knoixlcdge 'of the .particular duties ho has,' beon engaged ;! upon during tho initial'period of'his service. '" At subsequent stages of, his servico he is required toVpasi.other examinations having a liko object, What tho ~ Department takes strong objection to is that the officers should resort...to irregu--1 . lar methods'of airing .their supposed '.', '.grievances''instead of faying them before their immediate superior officer, ,or, failing redress at his bands,', the-permanent head of the Department. It may fairly ■ -.:•. bo claimelcl that ~ sitph, , representation? when made aro treated with tho consideration they appear to merit,' and that in any caso the officer or officers submitting them aro'freated with tho utmost cour- , tesy. "i! ' ' "As regards the stoppage of pay of on officer absent oh 'sick leave- and the subsequent curtailment,of his next year's annual leave -!by a corresponding number of dnys. it inay bo. said that\thero wore cir- ■ ciimstances-in (connection with the case, - . which it ;is understood is referred to ■. '. which in 'the • opinion of tho Department amply justified the action taken. "The post and service of .tho Bominion'is classified, and the conditions goveniing!empldymcnt'.thcrejn. are'public' property; a candidate for crn- • ployment is under no misapprehension as to: tho conditions'which will govern his service if appointed, and ignnrcasomimp to accept.'.service. on„conditions., fijed by . Act v -and reirulntionsr'-and 'subsequently take exception thereto. ■ l , "As against tho statement. that three officers resigned within the last few days,

it may bo added that one of them, piesuinably because second thoughts aro best, promptly withdrew his resignation."As regards tho extra attendance lor which 'time off' is allowed, it should bo noted that this means 'tune and a halt off' for Sunday work. ... ' ' ~ "Tho necessity for requiring officors sitting for the recent Civil Scrvico examinations to work in tho forenoon of the nays upon which the examinations were held,' was due,, it inay.be explained, to tlio shortago of staff, resulting from so many men being detached from duty for this particular purpose."