RAILWAY EMPLOYEES' GRIEVANCES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 201, 20 May 1919, Page 6

RAILWAY EMPLOYEES' GRIEVANCES

Sir, —In The Dominion this morning 1 noticed a leading article on the railway dispute, and in which you make remarks' as to tho A.S.R.S. being satisfied. Now, Sir, I want you to get that idea out of your head. The rank and file of the /V.S.R.S. are not by a long way satisfied. Tablet porters still work a sixty-hour week, and will now get less pay than before the bonuses were made permanent. The maintenance mon are not satisfied; in fact, the unrest has been made worse instead of better, and I can assure you that tho "gallant" 38 will have 6ome very stormy meetings to face when they get home. We consider that they have been tricked, and are sure that the management are only playing with fire. The answer to the new schedule will 1m further depletion of tli.o ranks and more untrained men employed. If the public are satisfied, then they have to pay the piper and will reap the result, but I am sure it is not in tho interests of the Government or the public to have a depleted or . disorganised staff. Another point worth mentioning is that tho loco, members all had a vote on the subject. We, of the A.S.R.S., had none. Let the executive give us a vote and tho public will then 6eo how much satisfaction exists. It might be worthy to notice that a 44-hour week has licen granted to the workshops members, but this has not been granted to any of the running departments, and as u big percentage of tho A.S.R.S. belongs io tho worje-slioos,-perhaps this may havo had something to do with the acceptance. Tho running mon work all tho .ugly hours of the clock and hare no social life of any kind, whilo the worshops have regular hours and tlio_.wcelc-ond and holidays to themselves. Why, then, the distinction? —I am, etc., v A.S.BA