THE RAILWAYMEN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 16, 14 October 1918, Page 8

THE RAILWAYMEN

IMPROVEMENT IN CONDITIONS DESIRED i ; STATEMENT BY ENGINEERS' EXECUTIVE The conditions of work of the members of the New Zealand Lucomotive Engineers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association appear to be the causc of considerable unrest, and an curly improvement is desired. One of the chief claims sot forward for consideration, in a statement issued by the executive of the association, is that relating to night duty. It is pointed out that locomotive men have to work any hour of the day or night for ordinary rates of pay, and that apart from its obvious social disadvantages, night work is so prejudicial to health that it ought to be reduced considerably, if not abolished. Engineers running important passenger and express trains receive at the most a wage of Is. B}d. per hour, and firemen Is. 33d. per hour, while running at night. Men running necessary stock trains receive Is. 6d. per hour as second-class drivers, and firemen Is. 2}d. per hour, when running ■stock trains at night. This, it is pointed out, compares very unfavourably with any other calling which includes night work or after hours' work as part of a day's shift.. With a view of bringing about a reduction in the volume of night work the association is asking that "penal" rates be imposed to tho extent of time-and-a-half for all time on duty between the hours of 9 p.m. and,6 a.m. for locomotive men to "compensate them for the unnatural, unsociable, unhealthy, and miserable existence which such 1 work entails upon these men." The payment of such rates, it is asserted, will help to make +he officials reduce the night work and will also' be some recompense for tho men who have to do the inevitable night work.

In view of the discontent which is existing among the locomotive men at present, the Executive Council of the New Zealand Engineers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association lias issued the following statement :— "Towards the end of the liberal Government's term of office the late J. A. Millar, then Minister of Railways, visited Australia, and particularly investigated tho conditions of locomotivo men in the States with a view to removing the discontent of the locomotive men in New Zealand regarding their pay being less than Australian rates. The association was advised by the Minister that ho would take steps to place the locomotivo men in a better position regarding wages than they were in New Zealand when compared with Australia. Before this could be carried out, the Government was defeated, aiid although' the executive pressed their claims before the present Minister, ho gavo preference to the members of Division I in tho service. This left the members of the locomotive service, at the commencement of the war, in a very unfair position, which has caused considerable discontent amongst the members, inflamed at periods. with the increasing cost of living. The Executive Council, at the commencement of hostilities, assured the Government that they would give every assistance towards winning the war, and this has been loyally obeyed up to the present, when tho position appears to be getting beyond control so far as tho executive is concerned, nnd they havo therefore decided to appeal to the Government to do the fair thine to the men; otherwise the truce is clpclared over.

1 "In order to exhaust all leeitimate i mean's of bringing about an adjustment of the men's grievances a petition w.-.s presented to tho House praying that the association bo allowed to oom<> within the provisions of the Conciliation and? Arbitration Court, tho executive considering, that this would be a solution of. the difficulty. This petition was referred to the Government for. considoration. in a letter to tho association, dated May 20 last, the Minister states that'when all the men on active service, return to the Dominion on the conclusion of the war and indicate that they desire a change in the direction advocated by the executive, the mattor will receive further consideration. The Executive Council had taken ■ a ballot shortly after war broke out, and a majority of tho members decided to come under the Act, but those who voted against the proposal did so'because thoy considered tho Act as administered was more useless than the present;method. At the present time requests are being sent in by branches urging the Executive Council to take a secret ballot of the whole of the members of the association as to whether the association will continue the cap-in-liand method, or demand some means of redress where tho Department will not be employer and judge both. The members of the executive who have considered tho matter consider that this certainly would be the most opportune time to take such a vote as tho members of the association are now mostly married and consequently the weakest link in the chain. It is argued that if such a vote is postponed until the members como back from the front, and who represent fully one-third of the members, that they will vote according to the training given to them by the Government during the last four year, viz., fight for freedom and justice. AH the members who have returned up to the present have shown that they do not appreciate the treatment meted out to their calling while away fighting for the .Empire's freedom, and are showing particular discontent. The Superannuation Fund, which at one time was a large deciding factor in any action decided upon by the men, has now been almost put out of consideration ■as the Government has shown that when necessity arises it is torn up, and besides the men are firmly impressed that after the war there will be a political revolution, and the justice of their action untier such conditions as existed will be recognised, and they will have the benefits restored. The Executive- Council is faced with the fact that there is hnrdly a man in the locomotive service who is satisfied with his conditions of work and wages, especially in comparison with tho improvements brought About in outside workers' conditions. Whether tho present nxeeutive will remain in office or not denends upon thn iittihule taken un by thn members of Parliament who ar« asked to intervene in the intorests if tho public of New Zealand. The rosicrnntion oFthe executive will be an indication that the truco is eii'lcd i-ncl the rest remains with the members."