ATTITUDE OF MINERS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25083, 15 January 1947, Page 6

ATTITUDE OF MINERS

STATEMENT BY MINISTER

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, January Is. Following a statement reported last week that the Northern Miners’ {lnion had dissociated itself from the action of the national president qf the United Mineworkers’ Union in supporting the Federation of Labour when it called upon waterside workers to pass the waterfront dispute over to the federation, the president'of the Mineworkers’ Union (Mr J. Prendeville) had visited Huntly and attended a meeting of the executive of the Northern Miners’ Union, said the Minister of Labour (Mr A. McLagan) to-day. The executive, he said, had passed the following resolution: “That after hearing the explanation of the national president as to his action in connexion with the broadcast on the waterfront dispute, this executive is satisfied that the national president acted in the best interests of the United Mineworkers’ Union, and we recommend that our members accept the explanation.” The resolution was put to union members at special meetings, said the Minister, and was endorsed by 631 votes to 37. Since then, Mr Prendeville had attended a meeting of the Grey miners' central committee, where the action was unanimously endorsed. He subsequently attended a meeting of. the Buller committee, and sent a telegram to Mr T. Hill, national secretary of the Waterside Workers’ Union, stating that the miners’ representative who had been acting in conjunction with Wellington Waterside Workers’ Union officials had no authority to do so on behalf of the Buller miners, and had been requested to refrain from acting in that way.