Railways Classification Board

Full description

Establishment

The Railways Classification Board was established in accordance with the Railways Classification Board Act 1919 (No. 3006) to investigate and determine what increased rates of pay should be granted to staff to meet higher costs of living. The Board consisted of a County Court Judge as Chairman, two persons nominated by the Commissioners, and two persons elected by the staff.

The Railways Classification Board Act 1923 (No. 3326) extended the operation of the Railway Classification Board by establishing it as a permanent tribunal with powers to fix the rates and salaries of all officers up to a maximum of 500 (instead of 400 previously).

In 1937, a Railways Classification Board (Federal Jurisdiction) was established by the Commonwealth Arbitration Court. The newly formed federal Board was in effect a tribunal clothed with added responsibilities by the federal Court to act as an instrument to settle disputes before the Federal Court and to make reports to the Federal Court in the settlement of those questions.

Function

The functions of the Board were:

* To fix the rates of salaries and wages up to a limit of 400 per annum, except in the case of employees whose work is substantially the same as that covered by outside Wages Board determinations;

* To decide differences of opinion between the Commissioners and the staff as to the application of outside Wages Board rates; and

* To fix hours of duty, and, in respect of the whole staff up to a limit of 400 per annum, other conditions of employment affecting remuneration.

Abolition

This agency ceased operation in 1949 when a local Industrial Board was constituted to investigate and report to the Commonwealth Conciliation Commissioners dealing with the railway industry. At this time the number of Commonwealth Conciliation Commissioners increased from one to three and intermittently rotated tribunal hearings between states.