THE RAILWAY SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 29, 29 October 1918, Page 8

THE RAILWAY SERVICE

STATEMENT OF GRIEVANCES

A CONFERENCE ASKED FOR

After a lengthy meeting of the executive council of the Sew Zealand Locomotive Engineers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association, the following statement has been authorised:— ..A demand lias come from tho members throughout Sew Zealand that a secret ballot shall be taken as to whether the members are prepared to continue tho cap-in-hand policy or whether they di>.-. sire to take other action, and, if so, what aQtioa is preferred. The decision •of members to be in the hands of the executive council not later than the middle of December. Executive council has'agreed to this, and steps are being taken to place the decision in the hands of the Dominion councillors. If their decision

I agrees with the men's desire, then the ballot will be gone on with. The members consider that as an appeal to Parliament jn 1913 (which appeal was referred to the Government by Railway Committee) has brought no result it is useless pursuing this method. However, against this tho council states that they agreed (with the Minister that no demands would be pushed-for durinp the war, under the sincere belief that every one in the community would do the same; but now they find that the farmers and others have been pressing this Government for the "last ounce .of flesh." In addition, the men state that the Department has not kept faith with the men, as they made an attempt to alter the' men's conditions by asking the firemen to do their own smoke Iwxes and ashpans of" the engines they were on. Alterations were made to some .of the runs. Men eligible for superannuation were kept on to the detriment of the young men, many of whom resigned, and which threw a lot of overtime on those that were left. Engine loads were considerably increased, and men were harassed, "to take loads for which the engines were unfit. Now, the engines are in .a very bad state of repair, and the men are called upon to do work with i>. tool in bad repair. Therefore, the ea'cutivo arrived at the conclusion that their compact with the-Minister shall cease forthwith.

The members have approached every member of Parliament, and they agree that -the men's demands are reasonable. As there seems no final way of settling the dispute without recourse to forte, at present, the executive has appealed to the Prime Minister to appoint a ponciliation Commissioner to adjudicate at a conference between the Department and the men's representatives, the Government to carry out the Commissioner's recommendations. The men at present demand that their real wages shall be placed on same basis as existed in 1900, and not less than the best wages paid to' the men in Auntnilia. iThis is .reasonable in view of tho fact that living is so much higher than it is in; Australia, and living wage is alco much higher. To place their wages on. this footing a sum of .£50,000 is required each year, and the men consider that the manipulating of the larger locomotives has saved this amount to the Department. It is figured out that the saving last year, 1016-17, to the State by the introduction of larger locomotives amounted to .£57,000. The men havo not received any more for manipulating these engines, although they require greater skill in handling the trains and caring for tho engines. In regard to the bonuses to the. men, tho locomotive men are in an invidious position compared with those .le'pariments which do not work overtime but get concessions' instead. The locomotive men get no overtime rates for the bonus, and neither do'they get any moro bonuses if they work one day or., tivo days' overtime. The bonus ceases ifter it amounts to sis shillings, although the men are put to greater expense in tK way of food for overtime worked. It was not anticipated that the bonus would work out this way to the men, ird il-. 1 though the Department was asked to alter this it failed to do bo.

The men are tired of the old method of adjusting their complaints, as there seems no finality about the mnttor, nnd tho Department has always got the last say, and everything is looked at from thn £' s. d. point of view, irrespective o5 what the men suffer in disabilities.