WORK STOPPED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 190, 13 August 1934, Page 7

WORK STOPPED.

MEN AT STONE JUG, DEDUCTION FROM PAY MADE, BAN ON STOP-WORK MEETINGS As a result 'of a ban on stop-work meetings, about 350 relief workers at the Stone Jug stopped work this morning and 60 men at the motor camp close by •'downed tools" in sympathy. They proposed a march to the Town Hall, but the police persuaded them to desist. The men were met on the job by the city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler, and the chairman of the works committee, Mr. H. P. Burton, and were counselled to return to work unconditionally prior to their grievances being placed before the Mayor and the works committee chairman at 8.30 to-morrow morning. After holding a meeting the men decided to accept the terms and went buck to work at 1 p.m. Mr. Burton statixl this afternoon thar. prior to the last meeting of the Auckland City Council on August 2 he and Mr. Tyler made a visit to the Stone Jug with a view to discussing the men's attitude in regard to stop work meetings. "I pointed out to the men plainly," said Mr. Burton, "that stop work meetings would not be countenanced by the Labour Department if any part of the meetings continued into the men's working time, and as the council is the employing body I informed the men that the Labour Department had given definite instructions that no time would be paid for that was not worked. I said that the council was entirely sympathetic as far as reasonable requests were concerned, and suggested that if matters were of such vital importance the men could surely call their meetings at the close of the day's work.

Department's Stand.

RELIEF WORK.

OBJECTION TO PAY.

"The men's delegates placed the representations before the others and asked that the council should approach the Labour Department, with a request that they be allowed half an hour each Wednesday for a stop work meeting. We made the representations to the Labour Department and were informed by the responsible officer of the Department that such meetings would not be allowed, the council being held responsible.

"This reply was given to the men on .August 3, and notices were posted on the job and in all the sheds close to where the gangs worked.

"Despite these notifications," continued Mr. Burton, "a stopwork meeting was held last Thursday, the men losing 20 minutes of their ordinary time. When the foreman made up the time-sheets he deducted 24 minutes, the additional four minutes being for the time taken for the men to get back to their jobs. This represented two-fifths of an hour's pay and amounted to a deduction of 6d : The men intimated that as the tima taken was only 20 minutes, 5d and not 6d should have been deducted. Down Tools. "With Mr. Tyler I went on to the job this morning, as we had received intimation that the men had downed tools after working three-quarters of an hour," said Mr. Burton. "We arrived on the job shortly before 10 a.m. and met the six delegates representing the various gangs. In view of the fact that there was an element of doubt in respect to the extra four minutes we agreed to refund a penny, but the men were informed that the time that they had taken off this morning would not be paid for. The men said they wanted a refund of the whole amount, and decided not to return to work in the meantime, and a suggestion was made that they should march to the Town Hall. The city engineer got into communication with the police, and I understand that they indueefl the men not to demonstrate or march. I told the men that if they went unconditionally back to work the Mayor and myself would meet their delegates at the Town Hall at 8.30 to-morrow morning. "After holding meetings the men re.turned to work at 1 p.m. Their delegates will come to the Town Hall ik the morning to state their ease."

WAITEMATA COUNTY. EEPLY TO MR. SULLIVAN. Exception to the statement of Mr. D.. G. Sullivan, M.P., in the House on Thursday night, that certain counties, among them the Waitemata County Council, were employing hardly any ordinary workers, and were getting all their work done by relief workers, wh« were being paid by funds received fron,; the Unemployment Board and Highways Board, was taken to-day by Mr. W. A. Bishop, chairman of the Waitemata County Council. Mr. Bishop said that Mr. Sullivan'* statement would give the inrpressioj that the Waitemata County Council, was not using its own money to pay fo> work being done. "This is not so," sai( Mr. Bishop. "As a matter of fact, \v» have been spending about £90,000 a yea? on our ordinary programme of works; this money being found out of oiir owx revenue, and not a penny from tL. Unemployment Board's grants. Witl the money we receive from the Unemployment Board we employ additional men, and under No. 5 scheme at presen; we have a weekly average of 951 employed, but not one of these is ox our ordinary programme of work. Tht grants made by the Unemployment, Board are not much use to us. On tht other hand, the grants have cost us i lot of money, because the work done ii not urgent work, and any time durin; the next 20 years would have been timi enough for it. But we have had to fini work to help the unemployed, and ever; penny we get from the board goes to tin relief workers" in wages. The Count; Council has to pay for surveying, supervision, transport, tools and material, am" has also to erect camps, so you wil realise we are actually losers. "Last year we spent over £160.000, of which we received about £80,000 fronthe Unemployment Board, but the othe£Bo,ooo or more was spent from tin county's own revenue."

! GISBORNE AERODROME WORX ((By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) GISBORXE, this day. The work of remodelling the Gisborni aerodrome was to have started thi< morning, but 100 men who assemblcl objected to the rates offered, and n> work was done. A deputation waitei on the acting Mayor and urged thi Borough Council to take up the matte" with the Public Works Department.