§ Mr. GLANVILLEasked the Postmaster-General whether it is by his instruction and approval that hours of attendance in the London sorting offices, which have stood for years, have been recently adjusted, and weekly aggregations of thirteen minutes, less than two and a half minutes a day, and in some instances five minutes, less than one minute a day, are to be worked back on Saturdays; and is it realised that for officers who have to travel by train and tram to and from the offices, such an arrangement gives rise to inconvenience?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELIt was recently necessary to adjust the attendances of some of the London sorters so as to bring them up to forty-eight hours a week,i.e., to the normal for that class of officer. I find that in one district it was arranged for the duties to be adjusted on one day only, and I have now given instructions for the attendances to be divided as equally as possible between the six week days.
§ Mr. GLANVILLEasked the Postmaster-General whether, for all periods less than fifteen minutes worked in excess of the normal duty on any one day, no claim can be entered; and, if so, on what grounds do the Department claim from the staff for periods aggregating less than fifteen minutes in a whole week; and has he expressed himself opposed to any extension of the long and short duties?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe rule governing payment for overtime is that attendance of thirty minutes or more beyond the scheduled time on any day—periods of as much as fifteen minutes on each of two or more attendances being aggregated—should be accumulated for the week. If any of the overtime has been worked between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. an addition of one-seventh of such time is made to the week's claim, and payment at the extra duty rate,i.e., ordinary rate and a quarter, is then made for the result- 1350W ing total rounded down to the last completed quarter of an hour. The rule with regard to rounding down has been in force for many years, and is, I think, not unreasonable.