BANK EMPLOYEES AND THE COST OF LIVING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 155, 26 March 1919, Page 8

BANK EMPLOYEES AND THE COST OF LIVING

Sir—l have read with much interest the letters of "Lauucelot" and "Galahad" in your issues of decent date, and quite agree with the latter that "the ball has been set rolling" to bring under the notice of our "heads" the necessity : for a drastic increase in the miserable pay given to us. The general public cannot .realise that our salaries are not nearly so much as those paid to ordinary unskilled labourers. lUany bank managers do not draw as good pay as plasterers, carpenters, flaxmill hands, factory managers, and others under the heading of skilled labour. Surely thero can bo no disputing as to which is the more responsible work, and yet it never has been so .regarded by our various boards of directors, otherwise they, being fair-minded men (let us hope), would naturally -have realised the necessity for giving adequate payment for this responsible work. Only quite recently, in your largely read and influential paper, you mentioned au instance where a flaxmill Hand, not skilled at that, inado something like .£540 for nine months' work! How many bank managers make anything like so much? From the position wo managers hold, our pockets aro always expected to be open to contribute to every imaginable subscription list, patriotic and others, and a refusal is apt to bring the mniK we represent into bad odour, especially iu small towns. The ordinary labourer escapes these drains on his income. We are expected to dress better and cutertain, or again we are looked upon "sideways" by our customers. The banks make absolutely no provision for these expenses, and no doubt would say, were the matter brought to their notice, "Well, of course, you need not contribute unless you care to."

Some of us, of course, get 10 per cent, on our salaries to provide tor the increased cost of living, but surely no sano director imagines tor a moment that this is sufficient to keep us. out of debt. It was put to mo the other day by a customer of mine iu this way: "Supposes the pen wore to go on strike,

supposing we did, can you forecast whtfl the position would be like? A strike <H wharf-lumpers, railway men, or carpenters and such like would be a mere bagatelle in comparison. For many years now I have known that our recompense has been deplorably inadequate for our work, but, strange to 6ay, wo have been either too apathetic, or nervous, or lacking in cohesion, or may be too loyal to our various institutions to take any steps to form a union. Those times have none now, and it is "up to" bank clerks throughout the Dominion to assert'themselves and demand that an all-round increase of nt least 51) per cent, be, paid them. If this is* not done now, the time luny come when our very timid directors will say. "You must be vei'f careful, you know, as things may quite likely get much worse, and we may he compelled to reduce salaries by 10 per cent., as was done in lean years long ago." This was actually done in my memory, but, nlas, we never had that 10. per cent, restored when "fat years" were being enjoyed. The poor shareholders, of course, benefited by the lStter, but we went along just the same. There are many more aspects of our case which occur to me, but I fear to weary you, and earnestly hope that some other "knight of the round table".will enter the lists io fight our very worthy cause.—l am, etc., LAVAINE. March 22.