§ Mr. JOWETTasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the senior woman telegraphist at Derby is employed on telephone duties and is thereby placed under control of an officer junior to her in service and in receipt of lower wages; that this telegraphist was refused the right of appeal to the surveyor, to whom she desired to submit her objections; and whether he will have inquiry made into the whole of the circumstances?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI find that the officer in question was employed for two hours on phonogram duties on June 24th, and was placed under the control of an officer junior in service but of superior rank. Any sorting clerk and telegraphist is liable to be called upon to perform postal, telegraph, or telephone duties as may be required, and supervision by officers of shorter service is sometimes unavoidable. Endeavour is, however, made to confine the employment on telephone duties to the junior sorting clerks and telegraphists, and I am having further inquiry made as to whether a junior officer was available in this case or not. The representations of the officer were not submitted to the surveyor in the present case, as a decision had previously been given on a precisely similar question.