EIGHT-HOUR-DAY AGAIN

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 827, 22 November 1929, Page 16

EIGHT-HOUR-DAY AGAIN

RAILWAY WORKERS WIN CONCESSIONS 1924 STRIKE RECALLED Press Association WELLINGTON. Today. j The railway strike of 1924 is called to mind by important concessions just made by the Minister of Railways to the executive of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants on behalf of a number of the second division of the service. When this organisation called out its j members on a wages dispute, the men j were forced to re: urn on conditions i imposed by the then Minister of Rail- j ways, Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, who, while j agreeing readily that there would be i no victimisation and that superamma- j tion rights were maintained, took up ; the position that the existing arrange- I ments regarding working conditions ; were in the melting pot. As a conse- j quence of the fresh arrangements the i strikers lost several advantages in their working conditions, and for five ye;: rs have been endeavouring to restore tbeir former position. Now they have succeeded in getting back the eight-hour day in place of the ten-hour shift, with overtime at the rate of time and a-lialf. The new arrangement, which operates from April 1 next, will enable overtime at the rate of time and a-quarter to be paid for work in excess of eight hours in any shift. A second concession recently arranged is that on the five statutory holidays during tlie year, when traffic and operating staffs are working at high pressure, they are to be paid double time and have a day added to their annual leave, which is usually taken in the off season of the year. This also operates from the end of the financial year.