P. & T. DISCONTENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1920, Page 8

P. & T. DISCONTENT.

THE ASSOCIATION'S CASE. )By Telejraph.—rress Association. Wellington, April 10. Mr. Coombs, secretary of the Post and Telegraph Officers' Association, made an interesting statement by way of answer to the secretary of the Tost and Telegraph Department in regard to tha growing discontent and. dissatisfaction in the postal services. Mr. Coombs declares that the official reply can only be characterised as a crude piece of side-stepping. The facts are that the men of the rank and file received an increase of £35, while the senior officers received £sl. The basis of the new classification was to be a five years training period (beyond the messenger stage), then a decent living wage. The salary scales which were to give effect to this basis were not fixed finally until six months after they had been determined upon, and were certainly better in some particulars than those at first drafted. But the scale of salaries was not nearly so important as its application to the individual. On this point the service had the greatest grievance. A telegraph messenger who is promoted to a cadetship will, after five years, receive £I.SO. The association considered a cadet who had already completed five years as such should receive the same salary, whiclf'-was quite reasonable, but actually officers who had completed six and seven years service were placed, on a salary of £165. The same thing happened in the general division (postmen), -where men expecting £l5B receive only £l3O, with a further year before getting £156. Little differentiation, was made between the work of senior and junior men in the same grade, as w«n receiving £165 work shift about with men getting £270, while a postman on £156 is interchangeable with a man drawing £2OB. The matter of grievances was discussed before the Appeal Board at Wanganui and it was considered by the board that a rectification of such grievances was beyond the powers conferred on it by the Act and the matter had to rest- there for the time being. The Department declared that the average salary for IS>l!> was £55.24 better than the average salary for Wl4. The Public Service Commissioners' annua! reports show the increase to be only £.lfi 51. Speaking of messengers Mr. Coombs said it was not right to tell the public the telegraph messengers merely joined the Department as a stepping-stone to other employment- Many of them would be content to stay with the Department if the messenger service counted for anything and the immediate future licid out as bright prospects, as other employment did.