§ 31. Mrs. Middletonasked the Postmaster-General how many members of the Post Office Engineering Department have applied for transfer to other departments between 1st April, 1948 and 31st March, 1949; how many have resigned during the same period; and what steps are being taken to obviate the loss of man power involved.
§ Mr. Wilfred PalingI regret that information about applications for transfer is not readily available. The latest available figure of voluntary resignations among skilled engineering employees is 1,668 during the calendar year 1948, representing 3.6 per cent. of the total number of such employees. In present conditions of full employment, this figure of wastage is not, in my view, excessive, but I might mention, as an 415 instance of what I presume my hon. Friend has in mind, the recent amelioration of subsistence and travelling arrangements.
§ Mrs. MiddletonWould my right hon. Friend agree that there has been considerable dissatisfaction within the engineering service on account of the recent re-organisation and on account of the way that it is operating? Would he take steps to see, particularly in relation to the question of promotion, that a man's service under the Post Office has at least equal preference with any experience that he may have gained elsewhere?
§ Mr. PalingPromotion is on a fairly good basis. The system has been in operation for a fairly long time. The complaint was due to a question relating to subsistence allowance and travelling. Those are things to which we have attended, I hope successfully.
§ Mr. W. R. WilliamsCan the Minister tell the House whether the officers who resigned were established or unestablished?
§ Mr. PalingNot without notice.
§ Mr. RankinAre not the prospects of promotion, as well as the salary scales, in the engineering department much poorer than in the sales department, while the qualifications demanded are much higher, and is that the reason for the transfer that is going on?