CARPENTERS’ DISPUTE

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25741, 1 March 1949, Page 4

CARPENTERS’ DISPUTE

EMPLOYERS SUGGEST SOLUTION

RESUMPTION OF NORMAL WORK URGED

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, February 28. “The Carpenters’ Union has missed the most olqvious and simple solution to the present situation—for the union to decide to resume normal work under award conditions aqd advise this association of their decision,” said Mr J. M. Whittaker president of the Auckland Master Builders’ Association. to-day. He was commenting on methods of solving the building deadlock suggested by Mr R. Stanley, national 'secretary of the Carpenters’ Union.

“There is no suggestion that the union executive or anyone else should lose face or comer cap in hand, to this association,” said Mr Whittaker. “The correct solution is entirely in the hands of the members of the union themselves, and there need be no loss of prestige if they decided to reverse their decision to adopt go-slow tactics, seeing that the application of the Federation of Labour for a general wage order has been set down for hearing on March 15.”

The stop-work meeting of building trades employees, to have been held at Carlaw Park on Wednesday to discuss the carpenters’ dispute, has been postponed indefinitely. Representatives of seven unions, including a number outside the industry, which had expressed sympathy with the carpenters, met to-day to review the progress of the dispute. They decided that, since other sections of the building industry were not yet faced with wholesale dismissal, the proposed mass meeting should be postponed. They also agreed that builders whose supplies had been stopped because they refused to dismiss carpenters should be invited to communicate with the appropriate union so that action could be taken. Payments from the union’s “lock-out fund” to unemployed members will be made on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Declaring that the employers in the carpenters’ dispute at Auckland have instituted a lock-out of their employees, the New Zealand Federation of Labour has launched an appeal to affiliated trades councils and unions for funds to support the dismissed men. A circular has been issued asking all affiliations to send contributions to the office of the federation.