TRAMWAY MEN'S DEMANDS.
STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN OP COMMITTEE. . At Monday's meeting of the Borough Council the chairman of the tramways and electric light committee (Cr. J. Clarke) made a statement in reference to reports that had been circulated regarding the council's attitude towards the demands of the tramway employees for increased wages. He said that it was a deliberate lie for anyone to say the council had repeatedly turned down the men's application for increased wages. The position was that the men were working under an agreement which did not expire until August next, and which it was not desired to break at the present time. Since the agreement was made the men had all received one war bonus of 5s per week. They were now asking for a minimum wage of Is 4d per hour, equal to £3 4s per week of 48 hours, which was considered by them to be at the present time a living wage. The council, through its committee, immediately the demand was made, offered to give what was asked for, not by increasing the wages, but by an additional bonus of 5s per week for the balance of the term of the agreement, which would bring all the men in the service up to £3 4s per week, with the exception of 3, who would get £3 2s. These the committee agreed to bring up to the level of the others, so that no man would be getting less than what was considered by them a fair living wage. Cr. Clarke pointed out that the increase had been asked for solely on the ground of the increased cost of living". The men had refused the committee's offer, principally because the increase offered did not increase the wages of the higher-paid men proportionately, or increase the overtime rate. He pointed out that in considering the matter the committee put the overtime question on, one side and resolved to give the men what they considered a living wage, based on a 48hour week. He also pointed out that if the increase was on account of the increase in the cost of living, that increase could be no more to the higher paid men than to those who received the lowest rates. The question of what was done in other services really did not matter. He knew the Invercargill Council had referred their tramway employees to the Arbitration Court when they asked for an amendment of their agreement, and he believed Christchurch had refused an increase on the agreement rate of wages paid theTe. It was also stated that at present the lowest-paid men in the local service would receive, under the council's latest offer, £3 4 s per week, and the highest £3 I2s per week of 48 hours. The overtime averaged about 4 hours per week, and in addition they worked about two Sundays out of three, for which they got time and a half. If the men's demands tfere conceded it would mean that the wages would be £4 3s 6d and £4 12s respectively, and a sthe men had stated that they considered Is 4d per hour a minimum living wage the committee considered it was offering equal to that by an additional bonus of 5s all round for the remainder of the term of the agreement. After some discussion it was resolved to leave the matter in the committee's hands.
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Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1919, Page 7
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568TRAMWAY MEN'S DEMANDS. Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1919, Page 7
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