RAILWAYMEN'S PAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 55, 29 November 1918, Page 5

RAILWAYMEN'S PAY

GRIEVANCE ABOUT EPIDEMIC

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER

ftaihvaymen, in common with other workers, have suffered by the prevailing influenza epidemic. Under existing agreements between the Department and tho second division of the service the Government is not under obligation to give any sick pay whatsoever to men being otf duty, but in the recent epidemic the Department has agreed to pay all men off duty through sickness half-pay. In the House of Representatives yesterday several members upbraided the Department for this alleged niggard treatment of the men, saying that they had had to run special risks in this time of sickness, and that they ought not to he penalised for having been faithful to their duty in facing those risks. It was alleged at the same tinio by some members that the rates of pay in the service were too low, and'thnb they ought to be raised. The Minister, replying at the end of tho debate, said that it would appear that several honourable members were under the impression that the Department was doing nothing for the staff. Ho could tell them that the Government had done more for the raihvaymen than any other Government in Australia _ had done, but the assistance had been given, as in the Public Service, by way of bonuses. Instead of overhauling the schedules, Cabinet had decided that tho increased cost of living could best he met by giving the men bonuses. It was considered that during the war it would not be advisable to review the schedules. Bonuses could lie given at any time, whereas the schedules could not be reviewed except when the House was in session. And the bonuses that had been given to the raihvaymen were greater than had been given to men in any other, branch of the State service. First of all they were given a bonus of a shilling a day, payable to single and married men alike. In the Civil Service the bonus was ..£ls a year to married men <ind £1 10s. a year to single men. The raihvaymen got a shilling a day all' round. Mr. Witty: Will you make it permanent ?

Mr. Herries: "I will tell you what I am going to do later." He went on to say that a year after the first bonus was given, the cost of living having risen in the meantime, .the Government gave another bonus to tho raihvaymen of a shilling a day, and just lately they had been given another shilling a day. This meant that the wages of tne raihvaymen had been increased by three shillings a day. An increase in wages of this kind was.ao small matter for the Government, meaning, as it did, the expenditure of half a million of money. The action of the Government, he considered, should merit the praise rather than the blame of members. It was no doubt quite true that men were leaving the service in order to go into private employment, but in these times of war, when wages generally were increased owing, to scarcity of labour, the Railway Department could not compete in the matter of wages with outside employers. But these high wages outside would not last. The special work these people were required to. do would finish. Then the men would be anxious to come back to (he service, and the Department would be only too glad to get them Iwck. AVith regard to the future, he had interviews with tho two societies of second division men, and he had told them that he was prepared to meet them in time to be able to deal with their case during next session. During next session he would be prepared to overhaul Hie schedule of the Act. He had always been in favour of meeting war increases in the cost of living by bonuses, but now Hint the war was over he was prepared to consider amendments to the schedule.

With regard to the epidemic, he wished to point out first of all that no man in the second- division of tho Railway Service ever had been. entitled to sick' pay. The Department recognised that there were special circumstances in the present instance, and when they were approached by representatives, of tho second division societies it was agreed that half-pay would be allowed, Somo honourable members had accused tho Government of cutting down the pay of these men. There could bo no cutting down about it, because they were not entitled to, any pay at all. Ho considered that the Department had already given tho men fairly'generous recognition. In other years there had been epidemics, although not so serious'as this one, and men who had the misfortune to bo sick received no pay at all. However, the representatives of the A.S.R.S. were to wait upon him on the subject soon, and he would be very glad to listen to what they had to say. The men had been loyal to the Department in tho crisis, and he could assure honourable members that the Goverriment was anxious to do everything possible to meet the railwaymen.