§ 9. Mr. PETOasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been called to the fact that under Admiralty Order dockyard workers who volunteered for naval service during the War are placed at a disadvantage as compared with those who continued in regular dockyard employment, and that time on active service in the Navy does not count for gratuity; and whether he will consider the revision of this Order, so that men should not be penalised for volunteering for active naval service during the War?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Commander Eyres-Monsell)Workmen employed in the dockyards before the War who joined the Colours for service for the period of hostilities are allowed to count such service for civil superannuation or gratuity. This concession is not extended to a workman who, during the period of hostilities, severed his connection with the yard, and joined the Navy under the ordinary continuous service engagement (namely, for 12 years).
§ Mr. PETOWhy is there this discrimination between one dockyard employé and another, and why is it that a man who severed his connection with the dockyard in order to enlist in the Navy should have that counted against him, and that it should render him ineligible for the gratuity which he would have received had he remained in the same employment in the dockyard?
§ Commander EYRES-MONSELLIn the one case the men join up for hostilities only and naturally count all their time in civil employment. In some cases, they severed their connection to join up as sailors, but when they came back, as they did, they were allowed to count their previous time. We could not allow them to count their continuous service in the Navy as civil time.