MINES DISPUTE IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22081, 1 May 1937, Page 15

MINES DISPUTE IN BRITAIN

EFFORTS TO AVERT STRIKE

RECOGNITION OF UNION DEMANDED

GOVERNMENT HOPEFUL OF A SETTLEMENT

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPTBIOHT.) (Received April 30, 9 p.m.) LONDON, April 29. The Mines Department is engaged in industrial conciliation to bring about an agreement between the Mineworkers' Federation of Great Britain and the owners of the Harworth Colliery in Nottinghamshire. A national conference of delegates to the federation will meet tomorrow to consider the action to be taken on the recent ballot of the British coalfields which, by 444,546 votes to 61,446, authorised a strike to secure recognition of the federation in Nottinghamshire. The -owners of the Harworth Colliery refuse to negotiate with the local union, which is affiliated to the federation. A national strike on May 14 is mentioned in some quarters as a, possibility, • but the general feeling is more optimistic and a settlement is expected. , The Prime Minister (Mr Stanley Baldwin), when questioned in the House of Commons on the position, said he was satisfied that everything possible.was being done to find the solution of a very difficult problem.

THREATENED STRIKE OF BUSMEN

NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUED IN LONDON

TRANSPORT UNION'S DEMANDS UNALTERED

(Received April 30, 9 p.m.) LONDON, April 29. Negotiations for averting the strike of busmen in central London, which is threatening to commence at midnight to-morrow, were continued at the Ministry for Labour. So far as is publicly known the transport union maintains its demand of a seven and a half-hour day. The London Transport Board, while prepared to refer the issue to a public inquiry or to arbitration, has not modified its position, namely, that the demand cannot be met out of its finances. It is still hoped that a compromise may be found.