RETURN TO WORK ADVISED

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22551, 5 November 1938, Page 16

RETURN TO WORK ADVISED

■ « RAILWAYS STRIKE AT OTAHUHU DECISION OF WELLINGTON CONFERENCE .■ j DELEGATION LEAVES FOR AUCKLAND (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, November 4. The principal developments, "in Wellington to-day in the strike of employees at the Otahuhu railway workshops were the entry into the dispute of the TSTew Zealand Federation of Labour and the departure of representatives of the federation, i the New Zealand Railway Trades- j men's Association, ahd the Boilermakers' Federation for Auckland to-night. It appears from information that can be obtained in Wellington that the national offices m Wellington of the organisations concerned have been concentrating their attention on confining the dispute to Otahuhu and are moving in the direction of obtaining an early settlement there. This morning a conference was held between representatives of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, the Railway Tradesmen* Association, and the national executive of the Federation of Labour to which representatives of the Boilermakers' Federation, a union which includes men employed by the Government as well as men employed by private firms, were later admitted. ' It was decided to advise the men at the Otahuhu workshops to return to work under the conditions laid down 1 by the Minister for Railways (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan). The Minister had given an assurance that immediately that was done negotiations -would be opened. After the conference officers of the national organisations went to the Hutt workshops, where a meeting of the 2000 employees was being held at. the call of the. local combined committee of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and the Railway Tradesmen's Association. Mr F. P. Walsh, a member of the National Council of the Federation of Labour, addressed the «nen and acquainted them of the decision of the conference. . The meeting confined itself to passing a motion of sympathy and decided to leave the handling of the dispute to the Federation of Labour.

STATEMENT BY MEN'S COMMITTEE WORKS DESERTED DAY (PRESS A.SSOCIATIOK TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND. November 4. Intervention by the National Executive of the Federation of Labour to. end the strike at the Otahuhu railway workshops, where 1600 men have been idle since Wednesday, was decided ■upon to-day, and members of the executive are to arrive in Auckland tomorrow morning to discuss matters with the men. A special mass meeting is to be held at the workshops at 11 o'clock in the morning. There was no material change In the situation when the men assembled at the workshops at the usual hour this morning. After holding a mass meeting and hearing reports from the committee acting for them the men departed for their homes, and by 10 a.m. the works presented a deserted appearance. Only apprentices and a few men on essential duties remained. The men's determination to stand firmly behind their claim, and assurances of support from other centres were mentioned in an official state- i ment issued by the men's committee shortly after noon. The statement read:— "At 7.30 a.m. the men reported al the workshops prepared to resume work pending official negotiations, provided the department agreed to allow the men to resume work under the conditions prevailing before Wednesdays A mass meeting was subsequently held at 8.30, at which the men again expressed their determination to remain solid. "A report was received from the delegates to the Auckland Council of the Federation of Labour, which has considered the case and given the men its unanimous support and communicated to the national ' executive of the federation in Wellington the justness of the men's claim. We have official communications from responsible officials in Wellington that the matter is being placed before the Minister for Railways (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) by the national executive of the Federation of Labour, and"'we hope for an immediate settlement as a result of negotiations. Reports have been received this morning from other centres expressing their solidarity toward the men at Otahuhu." When the men dispersed it was fell tnat- nothing further would eventuate until Monday morning, as the five-dav week is in vogue at the workshops The men had arranged to return at the usual hour on Monday to receive reports on any developments in. the week-end During the afternoon the Disputes Committee received advice that the members of the national executive of the Federation of Labour were travelling from Wellington by the Limited and desired to meet the men to-morrow morning. Steps were ely taken to convene a meeting at the workshops.

ADDINGTON WORKERS NOT AFFECTED ATTITUDE DETERMINED BY ADVICE FROM WELLINGTON No official opinion has been expressed by employees of the Addington workshops on the Otahuhu strike, and the men are continuing work as usuai, according to inquiries made yesterday. Advice has been received from the headquarters of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants in Wellington that its members, among whom are included a proportion of the employees at Addington, should remain at work pending negotiations. No action has been taken locally by the Railway Tradesmen's Association, to which other employees at

the workshops belong. Any action, in J„ * case ako » wm depend on lington ™ head< iuarters in WelREPORTED STATEMENT DISOWNED (PBMB ASSOCIATION TEMe*A3f.) « „,_ DUNEDIN, November 4. Mr Philip G. Connolly, secretary at the Hillside branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railways* Servants, in a letter to the Dunedin newspapers, says: "To-day's issue of your publication contains: 'lt was stated by one of the men in a position to know that 95 per cent, of the men at Hillside had no sympathy with the northern employees* action, and considered that they were ill-advised in the drastic course of action they had taken.' i"J u J^ ly x kave been' authorised to state that the above did not emanate from an official of the Hillside branch of the Amalgamated Society of Kailway Servants, for we are not in a position to make such a statement in regard to the Otahuhu dispute. All official statements issued by our own organisation will be in writing, and srfll bear the branch seal." The information published this morning was obtained from an official of the Hillside branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants.