LINESMEN'S AWARD

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 122, 19 November 1932, Page 15

LINESMEN'S AWARD

NO AGREEMENT XET

No finality was reached in yesterday's Conciliation Council proceedings in the linesmen's dispute with the City Council. A deadlock was leached on the question of rates of pay, amongst others, and proceedings wero adjourned until 12tli /' v^. :.: -I

The .workers' representativesi" maintained their attitude that the old award rates,. 2s 2jd] anhour for linesmen-and 2s an. hour, for assistants, should he paid,; My. H. E. Swindell remarking that the Corporation had'agreed to pay linesnieii in tie; tramway. department is llid an hour.'an'iT assistants Is lOd. It seemetf absurd to Kirn that they should now Tvanf to pay more highly skilled men lower wages. ; Ability to pay was the criterion when the question of reduction in wagea af oso. With a private employer in some cases there aright be! a'justification for a reduction, but with, a paying-,department there was none;

Mr. "W. J.-Mountjoy, for the Oorriorationj remarked that the electricity, department had been rather over-generous in. its offer of 2b Id an hour for; linesmen and Is 9Jd an hour for assistants, as it had decided to pay:lin6smen ,who, after all were' only semi-skilled men, tho same as the skilled workers in the electrical trade w;ero getting. The employers wore not .asking for a, further 10 per cent* reduction in-wages and their offer was a reasonable one, about the acceptance of which there should be no difliculty. ' . "• "■

Mr. Swindeli: You are an optimist.