Page:Engines and men- the history of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. A survey of organisation of railways and railway locomotive men (IA enginesmenhistor00rayniala).pdf/201

bring to the notice of the company a matter affecting their rates of pay, hours of labour, or conditions, a petition should be presented, signed by at least 25 per cent. of those concerned. The petition was to name a suitable number of employees as a deputation, which deputation should be received by the company within fourteen days of the petition, and give a reply in writing within 28 days of the petition. The provisions were that in cases concerning individuals or a depot, a local superintending officer might hear the case, and report to the company. If the company proposed to reduce the rates of wages, or increase hours of labour, or otherwise adversely alter the conditions of service, the matter was referred to the appropriate Conciliation Board, after the company had circularised the men concerned, giving notice that the matter would be placed on the agenda for the next meeting, the circular to be issued not less than one month before the date of the meeting. If isolated individuals only were affected by such an intention, they could remit the question to the Conciliation Board, and if that Board determined it was not reasonable, the matter could be adjusted from the date the alteration was made. There were still established on each railway a suitable number of Conciliation Boards to deal with questions referred to them relating to rates of pay, hours of labour, or conditions of service, other than matters of management or discipline, of all wage-earning employees. A Joint Staff, having no separate Conciliation Board, was allotted to one or other of the owning companies, for election purposes, and be dealt with through the Conciliation Boards of that company. The employers' side of a Conciliation Board was composed of one or more representatives from each district, elected from among themselves, and the grouping of grades into sections, and the division of the company's system into areas, and the number of representatives, followed the arrangements for Sectional Boards, under the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme of 1907. Elections of representatives of the employees were held under the supervision of the Board of Trade, from those who were employees in the section and district, each nomination paper being signed by not less than 20 adult employees of the