ABSENTEEISM IN MINES

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23699, 25 July 1942, Page 4

ABSENTEEISM IN MINES

DISCUSSION WITH MINISTER (P.A.) AUCKLAND. July 24. The question of absenteeism among coal miners was prominent in a discussion of the housing problem at a conference called to-day by the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) of representatives of the Auckland mine owners and various workers’ unions. First mention of absenteeism was made in his opening address by the Minister, who said that the urgency of time demanded that the workers give every ounce of their energy, and that any man who voluntarily ceased production deserved to be removed from the industry in favour of one of the thousands of men in the Army who had offered to go underground. It had to be remembered, before accusing men of absenteeism, _ that influenza had been an epidemic in the mining districts for some months. At the Renown mine, he said, he had heard that absenteeism was rife among the Maori truckers. If they would not work regularly they would have to be dispensed with. Mr Henry Morpeth, chairman of the Auckland Mine Owners’ Association, said that at the request of the Government the Pukemiro mine had worked five back Saturdays since May. but the average attendance of hewers was only 50 per cent. Working a Saturday at half capacity meant a severe loss to the company. Mr A. Hayward said that the Glen Afton management had found working back Saturdays a failure because of the small attendance of miners. Small musters on back Saturdays were largely explained by the fact that men who had been working a night shift were unfit to turn to again in the daytime, said Mr H. Peden (MacDonald union), Maori workers were defended by the president of the Northern Miners’ Federation (Mr H. Hall). The Maoris had responded to the national call to serve in the industry, but most of them had never before held a regular job. There was no great unjustifiable absenteeism. said Mr Tom Hall, secretary of the Northern Miners’ Federation. Unions’ tallies showed 4 per cent., three-quarters of which was among Maori workers.