THE RAILWAYMEN’S BONUS.

Taihape Daily Times, 13 December 1918, Page 4

THE RAILWAYMEN’S BONUS.

! (To the Editor) - “ I i Sil':~Recently, the two bodies repi?eS‘3lltillg the second division of the railway service petitioned the Minis!ter of Railways for better wages and Fbetter working conditions. The result was the granting of an additional rbonus of 1s per day for all men of like Second division, One of the bodlies (the E.F.C.A.) has expressed its «dissatisfaction with the small amount :of the increase, and is threatening to take drastic action, in which event it would havethe hearty support and cooperation of the other body, viz., the A.S.R.S_ It has been contended in some quarters that railway men are well paid, and it has even been alleged that they were not entitled to the recent increase by way of a -bonus. One writer in a city -daily alleges that men of the E.F.C.A. are the best paid ‘in New Zealand; that they have no trade or special learning of any kind; that they could not repair or take any part in the making of an engine, except as labourers; and that they are sometimes employed in cleaning up ‘and whitewashing pits, etc. The E.F.C.A. is representative of engine-drivers, firemen and cleaners, and the maximum wage earned by any of these workers is 13/6 per day, The rate of pay for stationary enginedrivers is 16s per day, for men with first-class certificates; and it ‘may safely -be said that 13/6 per day is about the minimum wage for unskilled labourers outside the service. All drivers do not receive 13/6 per day, as that is the wage paid to the first-class men_ ‘As far back as 1904 the maximum wage was the ‘same as at present. The wages of cleaners and firemen range from 10s per day, including the war bonus of 1s per day. In the railway service, casual unskilled "labourers are often employed on emergency work, and receive 1/6 per hour; whereas many permanent men, with eight or ten years’ service, receive a lower wage, Quite recently, pick and shovel men were -being advertised for at"l6s per day. _ - A The 7 contention that enginc:drivers have no trade or specjai knowledge may be overlooked. -'As drivers. require about five years" experience as cleaners and firemen, and must pass examinations for different grades. their ‘ether qualifications need not be mentioned. The fact of an engine"-driver not being able to repair or assist in making an engine counts for nothing; that, class of work does not concern an en- 1 gine-driver, as fit.ters are .. specially trained to do it_ An air pilot can be a. first-class man without the know-1 ledge necessary to ‘construct an aero-1 plane. If i_t..was necessary fofevery man to know how to Inake_the_ things . he uses, it would be rather a‘ queer] sort of world to live in. If drivers are sometimes employed in cleaning up; etc., that fact does pet alter the jus- ‘ tice of their claims. In many cases,§ they receive lower wages for doing,‘ that sort of work than a. ‘casual skilled labourer would receive. ,

Apart altogether - from the "wages question there is that of payment* 'for overtime and increased pay for nightwork. Practically all night workers outside the service receive extra pay, and overtime is paid for at the rate of time-and-a-half. If the Government enforces such benefits for outside workers, the justice of the claim for the extension of similar benefits to its own employees is surely apparent.—l am, etc., "LOCO,”