For engine drivers, 5s. per day; after six months, 5s. 6d.; after one year, 5s. 9d.; third year, 6s.; fourth year, 6s. 3d.; fifth year, 6s. 6d.; sixth year, 6s. 9d.; seventh year, 7s.; express drivers, 7s. 6d. per day.
Firemen: Commence at 3s. per day; after six months, 3s. 4d.; one year, 3s. 6d.; third year, 3s. 9d.; fourth year, 4s.; fifth year, 4s. 2d.; sixth year, 4s. 4d.; seventh year, 4s. 6d.; if firing over 12 years, 4s. 9d. per day. Ten hours to constitute a day in all cases; overtime beyond ten hours at time and a quarter rate.
"Your employees desire," continued the petition, "that you will kindly consider their responsible, arduous, and dangerous duties, and that you will grant the requests contained in the above programme, and to prevent dispute we desire that printed copies of all working arrangements made between you and ourselves shall be placed by each department in a position on the Company's premises where they can be seen when required."
In the course of this history we have seen such programmes before. They were very modest, but very lightly treated by directors.
The Great Western enginemen's and firemen's movement came to the front again in 1889, for in October of that year a meeting of delegates was held at the Phœnix Inn, Totterdown, Bristol, at which Mr. H. Parfitt presided, Mr. C. Watkins being in the vice-chair, and Mr. A. Griffiths acting as secretary. The third resolution carried, the one of central importance, was:—
"That an appeal be made to Mr. Dean, to which each man's signature be attached, asking Mr. Dean to accept a deputation of enginemen and firemen with respect to the regulation of hours and wages, and that the resolution passed at this meeting be attached."
The charter of the Great Western men, to be backed by the deputation, was in the following terms:—
