CAUSES OF THE TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3156, 7 August 1917, Page 5

CAUSES OF THE TROUBLE

PETULANT STRIKE AGAINST EFFICIENCY . METHODS. The root of tho strike trouble is the recently-introduced time-card system drafted by the Railway Commissioners, although it is held in certain quarters that tho cards are merely an excuse lor organised obstruction to the Government's efforts to run the country. "Until comparatively recently in the locomotivo workshops (6.tate the Railway Commissioners) every employee was required to enter either in a time book kept for tho purpose or a timo slip the number ot hours spent on a particular job, but the information fumislied, being somewhat vague, did not convey to tho Department that exact information whiclx would enablo the cost of the various classes of work carried out being ascertained \nth any degree of accuracy, and the system was cumbersomo also from the appropriation point of view, in that it necessitated a very careful analysis by time clerics to ascertain tho approximate debits for e&cli piece of work carried out. The system which obtained in the < Randwick workshops, though assimilating to that in tiie Eveleigh workshops, possessed the same unsatisfactory features, although in these shops the men were not called upon to make'out their own time slips, the work having been done by timo clerks, who went through, the'shops, ascertained from each individual employed the; charge number on which ho was working, and time spent on each charge number, ino records taken in this case were entered up in a rough time book and appropriated later on suitable timo sheets, llio system being cumbersome, and m man}* Tespect9 unsatisfactory, simplicity -and* accuracy were aimed at, and can be obtained by the use of the time cards recently introduced. This system, which lias now been put into operation, provides for the use of toe types of cards of different colours, which are filled m by the sub-foreman in charge of the work. Tho routine time card lasts as long as a man ig engaged on one class ot w 01 k. Where the -work varies job time cards are used, which are changed on the. completion of each operation, and the general time cards are used to Tecord the daily work of men who are engaged on many short operations ,on the maintenance of tho machinery in the shops or ments. .These cards, whilo the ; wo:rk is being performed, aTe kept by the subforemen in convenient cabinets which provide for work ahead, work in hand, and completed work. On completion of the work the total time spent on it 19 obtained from these cards, and is recorded oil cost cards by the well-known card svstem, without time being spent by tho timekeopers in entering the in appropriation and on directing and summarising this information. COMMISSIONERS AND THE UNIONS. X DEPUTATION. A deputation representing the Sydney Labour Council and over a dozen unions alfected by the introduction of the card time-keeping system at the Raudwick tramway workshops protested against the introduction of the cards, ou the ground that they would moan speeding up. The Chief Commissioner (Mr. l'raser), in reply, urged that the cards w ere necessary to enable accurate costs to be kept, and in order to eliminate shirkers. The system, ho said, had come to stay. In introducing the deputation, the secretary of tho Labour Council (Mr. h.avanagli, M.L.C.) said general unanimity prevailed throughout the trade-union movement in opposition to the B >" stel ?' Tho suggestion was that it tonded speeding up more than setting what was considered a fair day's work, lhc men were quite prepared for an investigation into their work, but held that the new svstem was entirely -unnecessary, that it tended to espionage, and was conducted in tho dark. In the event of a mistake being made by a sub-foreman in entering up tho time taken over a job, or it work necessarily took longer than usual, tlicy would not be allowed an opportunity of explaining, for in a months time the job would "be awav from the shop. That was the attitudo tho council had taken up. "Pernicious System." Mr. Dengate (Amalgamated Engineers) described tho system as "pernicious," and said the unions wcro 'unanimously against it. From experience in other parts of tho world, thoy knew it was n gpecding-uu system, and that tliey. should

Lot be saddled with it." A fair day's work was done iu tlio rail and train workshops, and in some case they workpa harder than men did outside. They resented the slurs appearing from time to time in the Press in regard to their work, and also the references to the "goslow policy. They could not accept the responsibility for any financial stress that might exist. Quito an army of UCCI i S n Wa - S lwing appointed at piescnt, and their pay ran into big iiguics. At Eveleigh there were 80 odd loremen, and at Kandwick 40 odd If foremen were competent, they could judge whether a mail was doing a fair day's ■i-V, pdorstaud," he said, "that it is the iaylor system, which is worked to a. iino art m America." Portion of that system had been introduced by means of coloured cards. "Wo have decided ," ho added, "that it is not acceptable to us, and we are going to do anything iu our power to prevent the introduction of it."

Mr. D. Black (Electrical Trades) contended that on a previous occasion tho Commissioners had agreed that the system should remain in abeyance till the unions were advised of its introduction. Tho fact that it had been spruug on the men without their representatives having an opportunity of ascertaining whether the system was identical with n speeding-up system, had had a great deal to do with tho trouble that had arisen.

Mr. Sturgess (Amalgamated Carpenters) said that if the loyalty of tho men at Kandwick was to bo retained it would tie advisable to do away with the cards. An unknown man would bo docketing the time, and jealousy would ]» caused. The results would not bo as good as at present. Some of the foremen, he understood, wero to bo paid from JC2SO to JMOO a year. About six years ago he had worked for the commissioners, and had worked just as fast as he did elsewhere. They asked the commissioners to withdraw the system.

llr. Bryant (Australasian Engineers) urged that it was peculiar that the costing system had just been introduced. Under this system tho time of a man who was a littlo weak would be compared with that of a strong worker. It had been generally expressed among tho men that this was the reason why the cords wero being brought into vogue. Mr. Eraser said they could speak as freely as at the Trades Hall.'