MEN REFUSE

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21365, 8 March 1941, Page 10

MEN REFUSE

WORK ON SATURDAY EXTRA PAT WANTED ONLY SEVEN REPORT FOR DUTY (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Saturday Trouble has arisen at the Hutt Railway Workshop regarding work on Saturdays and today only seven, out of about 200 workers who should have been present, turned up for duty. An ex-parte statement says that on Thursday a meeting of the workers carried a resolution as follows: “In accordance with the principle of the 40-hour week, we workers of the Woburn Railway Workshops again put forward our claims for payment for Saturday work at time and a-half. Failing an adjustment of this anomaly we shall, in future, decline all Saturday work.” The statement says that the resolution was carried with very lew dissentients and is signed by representatives of the Woburn Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and the Hutt Railway Tradesmen's Association. The statement adds that a further meeting yesterday endorsed the resolution. It is understood that all men will report for duty on Monday as the stoppage concerns only Saturday work. Long Standing Dispute The dissatisfaction over* Saturday work at the Hutt Railway Workshops is of long standing. Ever since the war started a number of men has been doing overtime work on Saturday mornings at ordinary rates of pay. They claimed that in this respect, and others, their rates and conditions compare unfavourably with those of men in similar private employment and they say that the matter of overtime rates for Saturday mornings has been represented to the Railway Department several times without the men obtaining satisfaction. So far the work on Saturday mornings at Woburn has been voluntary, the men being asked to attend but not told to. The men’s decision during the week to decline Saturday work was conveyed to the head office of the Railway Department and the assistant-general manager asked that the matter be held over till the return to Wellington this morning of the Minister and general manager, and that in the meantime the men work this morning. Men Prepared To Work Yesterday’s meeting of the men rejected the request by a majority vote. The management was notified, and toward the end of yesterday afternoon about 200 men, who usually worked on Saturday, were ordered to attend today and threatened with suspension if they did not. Only about seven did so. They were watched by a curious crowd of nearly 100 other workshop men but no attempt was made to prevent anyone from entering. Meanwhile, it is understood, suspension notices had been typed presumably for delivery to the men on Monday morning. .Officials of the Amalgamated Society and Railway Tradesmen’s Association, when approached today, naa nu comment to make. Official Arrangement It is officially stated the arrangement between the Railway unions and the Government was for uniform j tolerance and four hours at ordinary j rates of pay, in respect to time j worked in excess of 40 hours. The I effect in the workshops was that the j first four hours, worked on a'ny ' Saturday, were paid for at ordinary rates and thereafter time and a-half applied. The work the men were asked to do arose out of the war—the making of munitions and so c*n—and they have been asked to work at ordinary time rates in accordance with the arrangement. It is further pointed out that when the men had any grievance their proper course was to make representations through their own unions. The first intimation the assistantgeneral manager of the railways received was from the Hutt Workshops manager direct and not from the union. Appeal to Union Officials The assistant-general manager got in touch with union officials suggesting that they talk to the men and advise them not to take any action in view of the absence of the Minister and the general manager. The union officers complied and advised the men not to take action ! until the Minister and general manager were back.