THE RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 474, 24 May 1890, Page 5

THE RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.

THEIR GRIEVANCES. Christchurch, May 20. The following is the reply of Mr Edwards x to the Railway Commissioners: Sirs, —The 3 publication by you of the working rules 1 will no doubt have the effect, at first sight, of misleading public opinion as to the affairs in the railway service, and r I therefore tender you the following in- - formation :—Permanent way men are not paid in full for the actual time they work, j and their hours of labour exceed eight hours per day in many cases. Locomotive men ! on duty over ten hours are paid time and a quarter for such overtime. No instance is ’ known where time and a-half has been paid for Sunday duty. Cleaners in some sheds \ are worked sixteen hours per day and only ten hours allowed for the same, and are paid at the rate of 33 per day. Boys are firing onengineswho do noteven know the signals, and on this account the shunters have absolutely been compelled to refuse to work with such, owing to the danger to life and property. Boys should not be allowed to work between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (vide Sweating Commissioners’ recommendation). Traffic : Ten hours per day are recognised as the hours of labour for traffic men, except in very few instances. Traffic men are not allowed full time off in lieu of payment for overtime, and on many sections not even a day off per week or month even at working twelve hours per day. Guards are working under the name of “acting” guards for the past five years and have not received guard’s pay because, for the sake of cutting down wages, they are styled “acting.” This system is also in vogue wit!) firemen and drivers with a similar object. No case is known where traffic men received time and quarter for full overtime, worked above eight hours, or time and a half for Sunday duty. Boys are employed at junctions, holding points for passing passenger trains. Piecework : Shops’ wages are cut down by* piecework, and I can quote cases where men are being given] piecework at stated prices fixed by the Department, and then paid at the rate of ' only half the amount originally offered. ” There are other cases in which the men are given work on piece, and the 1 price fixed is so low that the men can only make 3s 6d per day. When re- j monstrating against the prices they fixed ] so low the men were told they knew ‘ what to do if they were not satisfied. They had the rules you gave out as being c the rules in force in the service, and if they £ had been adhered to there would be * no cause for the railway men to f take action, but the rules had been studiously ignored by the Commissioners v in their entirety. The Executive regrets s that knowing such bo be the case you I should alter the rules to be published ■ throughout the land with the effect of pro- * ducing public opinion against the just F demands of the Railway Servants for re- 1 form.— W. J. Edwards, General Secretary V A.S.R.S. l WESTPORT UNANIMOUS. 1

Mr Edwards, Secretary of the Railway Employees’ Society Executive, reports that the Westport brand) of seventy - eight members unanimously support the enforcements of the recognition of the Society by the Commissioners.