SICK BENEFIT PLAN

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 452, 6 September 1928, Page 12

SICK BENEFIT PLAN

SCHEME FOR RAILWAYMEN DISCUSSED WITH SOCIETIES (From Our Resident Reporter.) > WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Meeting with the General Manager of Railways, Mr. Sterling, the Assistant Manager, Mr. J. S. Hunter, and a committee appointed from the Railway Service, representatives of the friendly societies of the Dominion have discussed the department’s mooted sick benefit scheme. A departmental statement of the subject remarks that misunderstandings have been removed, and that friendly societies’ delegates found that the scheme was not likely to injure them in a manner thfey feared. One or two major points remain unsettled, T>ut on these further move will be made by the societies. Inasmuch the department scheme makes no provision for free beds in hospital or medical expenses it is expecced that the sick benefits will have the effect of aiding the friendly societies by focussing the attention of the men upon the additional relief obtainable from this source. Also, as the co-ordinated scheme within the department will replace other and overlapping departmental unoffir cial schemes, which were formerly in existence, and will give the benefits to the men at a cheaper rate, more money will be available for the railwaymen to pay to the friendly society organisations.