CITY TRAMWAYMEN.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1983, 13 February 1914, Page 8

CITY TRAMWAYMEN.

£&' WORK AND WAGES. ■' NEW AGREEMENT IN TREATY, EXTRA COSTi £2700 PER YEAR, Tlio City Council held a special meeting last night to receive , from tho Tramways Board its report regarding a. proposed- new agreement with the- Tramways Union ■ regarding tho work and wages of men in the tramway service. Tho Press were not admitted during any part o f the proceedings. -: ■ - ■ The Tramways Board, members of which have been negotiating with the union, had-submitted a report cover' ing a draft agreement embodying pro-posals-which-they, recommended tho council to accept, The council, after two hours' deliberation,-adopted"- -the board's report, and .decided to accept the terms in the draft agreement. This does not not mean, however, that tho matter, is finally settled,fortheboard's terms aro not those for which the union asked, and the; agreement has to bo accepted by the union before it can hecome effective. In submitting-the draft agreement for consideration', tho chairman of the Tramways Board (Mr. W; H. Mertcii) made the foffos'inp: ™! marks-:— ■ ■■■" b - "Tho additional expenditure" 'consequent upon the alterations proposed' and without-taking into consideration any request which may bo mado by the employees-in--the power station, is estimated to reach £2700 per annum. Tho rate of wages proposed compare very favourably with those paid in other centres, especially 'when the , working conditions are taken into consideration It will be noted that in tho proposed new agreement the probationary, period for, conductors l is increased from one to three months. , In cmieluskm, tho board recommends that this agreement should come' into- force within twowoejen attcr ratification by Hie council, and that the date of expiry .of .tho agreement: should be-Jni.lo 30, 1916. Wages of Mofornictu In the-draft agreement adopted bv the council no change is made in the of the four gvades of motorniciv hut, the promotion to. higher grade's lias been made easier. Aiso n. new grade that ot, senior niotonnen, being drivers with over seven-years' service, who are aWe to satisfy the, mauage-nic-nt of their ability to effest repairs, to cars in. traffic, has-, been created. : The, rate of pay w caiumended. for .men-.of this ETado-is Is. 3d .pcr : hoinv -. ■ -.":■■ The following aro tho proposed rates for other hiotormen;—First grade. Is. 25-d- per. hour; second grado- is -*d • thjrfl grade, Is.' IJd.; ana\f<mrth grade-! ■Iβ. Id.- Under the old agreement, firstgrade mdtob'nien.wcre those wlio ; had been,over seven years, in the service .is motormen, Now those who have' been over five years and 'trader seven, years will rank as first gfado men. Similarly the following changes have been niado in tlio other grades:—Second grade, over four and under five .years as motormen. instead of .over six years and imder seven; third grade, over two and under four'.years, instead of over three and Under six; fourth'.griide; under .two years,, instead-of linger throe years. , '•'• The union asked that thei'o should bo two , grades of niotormeii only, and that first grade men should receive lls. per day, and second grade men 10s. Conductors' V¥ase3, Following is tho schedule for conductors .'-"-JPirst grade, over two years' ser-vice,-instead of over three years, Is. »d.; second grade, over one ftnd ~uiider two years' servioeji'instead of over , one and und&r three 'years', Is. Jd.; third grade, under one year's service, as. before, Is, ,:,. ' ,-, The rates ruling now arc Is. Old., Is., and lljd. for the three grades. The douiauds of the union were 9s. 6d, a day for conductors with over two years' service, and Bs. 6d. a- day for cenductors with less 'than two years' service. Other Workers, Fallowing is the propesed schedule for other workers, the wages ruling being shown- in parentheses:—-Car equipment adjusters, Is. 13d- to Is. 2d. (Is. Id. to Is 2d.); controller cleaners, Is, Id. (Is. Id.); ear examiners, Is. 3d, (Is, 3d.); pitmen, Is. ljd. (Is, Id,); car cleaners. Is. O-Jd. (over threo years' service, Is. O.Jd., under three years' service, 'Is.); shed cleaners, Is. OJd. (no provision roade at present); blacksmith strikers, Is, 13d, (ls< Id); linesmen, Is. 4d. (Is. 3d.); assistant linesmen, Is. 3d. (no provision); emergency linesmen, £3 7s. 6d. per week of seven days (£3 7s. 6d. per week of seven days); permanent way. repairers, is. 2jd. (Is. ljd.); assistant permanent way repairers, Is: ljd. {no provisian); tracknien, Is. Ifd. (Is, Id.) j motorineii engaged en track cleaner, £3 7s. <3d. per week of six nights (no provision); track eleaner attendant; £2 17s. fid. per .week of six nights (no provision). It will benoted that pointsmen lmvo been omitted from the schedule proposed, and the board is of opinion that theso men should bo islaced on ; tho staff'and paid a weekly wago of £3. The rctoainiiig portion of the schedule regarding all workers under the age of 21 years remains unaltered. ■ .. * . The demands of the union were as follows: —Paintsmoiij £3 • irer ■ week ■ of 'seven days; Emergency, linesmen, £3 10s. per week of 58 hours; linesmen, Is, 4d. pe-r hour; ear 'equipment adjusters, cleaners; pitmen,..blacksmith strikers, shed labourers, trackmen, and permaU" ent way repairers, Is, 3d. per hcmr..\ Generally the- hours .of. work remain unchangel The imion asked fsr .on eight-hour day for motormen end conductors. They work eight hours a <Jay now, but tho 'management has tho rigHt ts» call upon them for ono hoar extra, per day at the ordinary rate.. The union opposed this, asking that all additional time in excess of eight hours be paid for at the .rate of time and' 5 half ttptill midnight, and after midnight at the rats of double time.