TWO STATE COAL MINES IDLE

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24713, 2 November 1945, Page 6

TWO STATE COAL MINES IDLE

DISPUTE OF PAYMENT FOR LABOUR DAY From Our Own Reporter GREYMOUTH, Nov. 1. The Liverpool and Strongman State coal mines were idle to-day because of a dispute over the payment for the Labour Day holiday. For the V-J holidays the men at these two mines were paid at a rate of 27s 6d for truckers and 32s 6d for miners, which were then regarded as the minimum rates for contract, trucking, and shiftwork" respectively on the holidays on which the mines were working. The head office of the Mines Department ruled that for statutory holidays such as Labour Day, when the mines were not working, the rates were to be- 25s 6d for truckers, and 28s for miners, which were the .minimum rates before the: increases granted for working days-just holidays. When the men were paid to-day at those rates" for Labour Day they de- ? ld ? d £?* to work toe mines as a proifSK T^F 611 claimed they were entitled to 27s 6d and 32s &dV the rates An C ntw r c* P f d for thf ? V ' J holidays. All other State mines m the district we i^„ pa i d atthe old rates of 25s 6d and T 2Bs for the V-J holidays, and also forXabour Day, but all worked to-day There, is no prospect of a resumption of either the Strongman or Liverpool State Mines till a mass meeting of the union is held, and as no such meeting is scheduled before to-mor-row morning, there is no likelihood of mem resuming before Monday next. The loss of coal for the two days of ™™ week alone runs mt o more than 2000 tons. . Interviewed this evening, Mr G E English, president of the State Miners' •x^'lv s3l^' that he had been in touch with the Hon. J. O'Brien, Acting-Min-ister of Mines and Minister of Labour, but that there had been no satisfactory solution of the problem. The miners were standing fast in their claims for payment at the rate indicated.