§ MR. STUART-WORTLEYasked the Postmaster General, Whether, under Section 7 of the scheme set forth in the 392 Postmaster General's Letter to the Treasury of June 13th 1881 (Parliamentary Paper, No. 286, of Session 1881), for the improvement of the pay of Post Office telegraphists and sorting clerks, it was intended that overtime work on Sundays should be in all cases separately accounted and paid for; whether he approves of such a construction of that section as reckons Sunday overtime work in substitution of time not worked out on any of the other six days of the week; whether, under the said scheme, sorting clerks are properly required to do always fifty hours work per week without overtime pay, and without regard being had to the number of such, hours that may fall upon the Sunday; whether it is the fact that, under the above construction of the scheme, sorting clerks are in some cases required to do as much as thirteen hours per month of Sunday duty, without receiving any payment for overtime; and, whether he will issue such instructions as will insure compliance with the real intentions of the scheme?
§ MR. FAWCETTSir, a sorting clerk and telegraphist is liable for the performance of an average of two hours' duty on each Sunday, so that the attendance does not exceed eight hours in four consecutive Sundays, and a separate record is kept of this attendance. Including the two hours on Sunday, he must perform 50 hours' work a-week. I and not aware that this rule has been departed from in the manner implied by the hon. Member but if he will give me any specific information about any individual case, I shall be glad to inquire into it.