NATIONAL UNION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 32, 8 February 1939, Page 9

NATIONAL UNION.

TRAMWAYMEN'S DECISION. EASTER CONFERENCE PLANNED. Tramwaymen throughout New Zealand, after fairly lengthy negotiations, have arrived at a decision to compile rules for the formation of a national union. It is understood that these rules have now been submitted to the Registrar of Unions, and the first meeting of the new Dominion organisation will be held in Wellington at Easter. The national union will have a membership of! approximately 3500, made up of the members of the Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Xew Plymouth, Wanganui and Invercargill Tramway Employees' Unions. Several important matters will be discussed at the initial meeting, including the question- of having gazetted regulations which tramwaymen have been advocating for a number of years.

It is possible also that the conference will urge that trolley bus drivers be brought under the Tramways Act instead of, as at present, being covered by the Omnibus Act. The advantage of such a change from the tramwaymen's point of view is that trolley bus drivers would then be required to secure motormen's tickets to operate their buses.