§ Mr. Lyonsasked the Postmaster-General what overtime was worked in 1938, by hours, in the London telephone service by the following sections, respectively: higher, clerical, executive and clerical officers, and writing and typewriting assistants, distinguishing each main branch?
391W
§ Sir W. WomersleyThe Department formerly known as the London Telephone Service was absorbed in April, 1938, into the newly created London Telecommunications Region and the work was rearranged on an entirely different basis.
Records of overtime related to the functions of the former London Telephone Service are not available in respect of the whole of 1938 but the figures for three months prior to the reorganisation were as follow:
By Grades. Hours. Clerical Officers … … 22,142 Clerical Assistants … … 12,896 Typing grades … … 2,000 37,038
By Branches. Hours. Accounts Branch … 31,897 Sales Branch … 3,698 Traffic Branch … 317 Staff and Buildings Branch … 1,126 37,038 During the nine months from April to December, 1938, overtime as shown below was incurred in the region, of which 3,000 hours were incurred in respect of urgent work arising out of the September crisis:
By Grades. Hours. Clerical Officers … … 117,310 Clerical Assistants … … 57,072 Typing grades … … 9,933 184,315
By Branches, etc. Hours. Accounts Branch … 98,022 Telephone Branch … 2,834 Engineering Branch … 10,102 Staff and Buildings Branch … 4,887 Telephone Managers' Offices … 26,682 Area Offices … 41,788 184,315 This overtime was spread over a staff about 50 per cent. greater than that of the former London Telephone Service.
The new arrangements necessarily involved a great upheaval of the work and of the staffing, and the recruitment of a large number of additional staff, which unfortunately had to include a heavy proportion of untrained staff. Resort to overtime on an abnormal scale was unavoidable.
During the whole year approximately 3,500 hours overtime were performed by 392W executive officers and 12,900 by higher clerical officers but these figures represent for the most part extra attendance performed voluntarily to meet the extra work arising out of the setting up of the regional organisation.
These figures of overtime represent an average over the year of less than 20 minutes a day per officer on all the grades combined.