RAILWAY SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 February 1922, Page 8

RAILWAY SERVICE.

ECONOMY PROPOSALS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Feb. 2. Correspondence released to-day revealed the fact that the Locomotive Engineers, Firemen and Cleaners’ Association has refused to guarantee that its members will support the Amalgamated Society should the latter call a strike as a protect against the Governmen’s action in reducing the salaries of railwaymen. On January 25 the A.S.R.S. wrote the E.F.C.A. that it had decided to take a ballot on the strikq., question and asking if the E.F.C.A. would support it. On January 26 the E.F.C.A. secretary replied: “I am directed to ask if the Public Expenditure Adjustment Act departs in any way from the agreement your association entered into with the Government in the year 1920, and if so in what direction? What is your executive’s specific objection to the Public Expenditure Adjustment Act? WTiat is the specific nature of the support which your organisation requires from the E.F.C.A.?” V.

The general secretary of the A.S.R.S. wrote on January 28 that there was nothing contained in any agreement providing for any reduction whatsoever, and the executive of the A.S.R.S. waa of the opinion that no reduction in wages or conditions of any railway servant, including locomotive men, was justified at the present time. The object of the first communication was to find out exactly where the E.F.C.A. stood upon that matter, and if tue A.S.R.S. men decided to strike could they depend on the E.F.C.A. to assist by showing common cause, or did the E.F.C.A. intend to remain at work in opposition to their fellow workers in other branches of the service.

On January 30 the secretary of the E.F.C.A. wrote: “I am directed to state that your agreement with the Railway Department dated June 2, 1920, clearly indicates that your union accepted 3s per day irt»*addition to schedule rates of pay as a bontla due to- increased cost of living and do I understand that your union repudiates that agreement when 'the department seeks a reduction under the same conditions on w r hieh the bonuses were granted ? I ask this question because my organisation is solid on the agreement being adhered to by any organisation or employer in this country. My executive agrees with your executive that in their opinion no reduction in wages or conditions is justified for locomotive men but they are not in a position to judge others as they have not the full facts before them. Regarding interviews, agreements, etc., concerning other organisations, if the locomotive men remain at work during a strike of the members of your organisation would you kindly advise me to what would be the difference between that and your members working when the locomotive men were on strike in April, 1920? The secretary of the E.F.C.A. draws attention to the fact that the A.S.R.S. has repeatedly refused to work in unison with the E.F.C.A. by means of a federation or otherwise and that it quite recently refused to give an undertaking that it would not do anything detrimental to the locomotive men on strike.

DELAY ADVISED. ' c Wellington, Feb. 2. The coming cut in wages of railwaymen is still exercising the minds of the rank and file of the A.S.R.S., but before any ballot is taken regarding the means to be adopted in resisting a reduction the members of the executive intend to explain the whole position thoroughly to the various branches. It is believed, that some branches want definite action taken without delay, but as against hurried procedure it is argued it would be preferable for the men to wait to have the views of the executive placM before them directly, and that if the taking of a ballot is postponed until after the first cut in wages in‘April the service will have a clearidea how 1 the Government’s retrenchment policy is going to operate. The probabilities are that opposition to the retrenchment scheme will not- take .definite shape much before July, when the second instalment is due to be taken off wages.