MINERS’ DEMANDS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 124, 18 February 1921, Page 6

MINERS’ DEMANDS

NEW AGREEMENT SOUGHT A THIRTY-HOUR WEEK AND MINIMUM WAGE OF £6 THE CLAIMS IN DETAIL The agrvement under which the New Zealand Mlinars’ Federation is working will expire at the end of the present month, when it will have been in existence for one year, and demands for a fresh agreement, emlwdying improved conditions of working, have been prepared. The demands, which are similar to those presented to the owners by the miners in Australia, are as follow: — Six-hour day (bank to bank). Five days per week. Abolition of Hie contract system. A fortnight’s holiday on full pay at the end of each year. A minimum weekly wage of L'G. Full wages as compensation for lost time owing 4o occupational disease- or accidents. Employers to provide tools, light, and explosives free. Instalment of modern salfety appliances. Proper sanitary arrangements. Abolition of tho afternoon shift. An effective voice in the executive control of the industry. Overtime. —Double rales to be paid for all week-day overtime; treble rates io be paid for all. Sunday and holiday work. The demands provide that the minimum wage for off-hand labour (18 years and over) shall be dll per shift. For miners hewing coal on contract a minimum rate of dll ss. per shift is asked, and for miners working in stone the minimum requested is <£l 7s. 6d. per shift. Other provisions of the claims are as follow: — Machine men; (coal), All ss. p&r shift. Wheelers, «£1 2s. Gd. per shift. Machine coal contract rates (shooter and filler), .33 l<-8 per cent, increase. Alachin© cutters, 25 per cent, increase. Boys’ and youths’ day rates, .33 1-3 per cent, increase. All other classes of labour, 274 per cent, increase. Where extra payment is now being made for special consideration, the margin now paid shall be maintained in a district. The Miners’ Federation asks that, so far as possible, any award or agreement based upon the foregoing claims shall be made retrospective, and operate as from February 28, 1921. The agreement under which the miners are at present working provides for work under the contract system, with a minimum wage of 19s. 2d. per shift of eight hours, bank to bank. HARASSING TACTICS IN AUSTRALIA WARNING TO THE COALMINERS OWNERS MAY CLOSE THE PITS. The industrial position on the New South Wales coalfields is rapidly becoming critical, stated the "Sydney Morning Herald” of February 9. On Monday and yesterday the Duckenfield, Killingworth. Shortland, Dudley, South Greta. Stockton Borehole-, and Bellbird collieries were idle through strikes: and for tho past month a day has not passed in which several mines have not been idlb owing to the miners, wheelers, or other employees ceasing- work. Notwithstanding the fact that practically the whole of the inter-State steamers are idle, there is still a shortage of coal in Australia, and owners are unable io meet all the demands. Oversea orders have had to be refused, and it has been found impossible to fulfil Contracts. This state of affairs, though partly duo to tho world shortage of coal, has been brought about mainly, colliery proprietors contend, by tho harassing tactics of tho extremists’ section of the miners. Recently the Commonwealth Government. under the Industrial Peace Act. appointed a special tribunal *o adjudicate upon claims and grievances in the industry, nnd an undertaking was given by the officials of the Colliery Emplovoes’ Federation that there would be no strikes, and that they would submit all their claims to this tribunal for settlement. But. notwithstanding that this body has .been sitting almost continuously for the past two months, nnd on Friday last issued a new wages award for the industry, there has boon no coseation of strikes. On the contrary, the owners state they have been anil are occurring with much greater freouenev than I'-fore the establishment, of the tribunal. /

Owners generally are convinced that the stoppages are part of a deliberate policy by which the extremists hope to capture control of the industry. For some time past ths industry has been subjected to all sorts of harassing, and everywhere the men have been advised to conserve their health by not working too hard. These methods, however, not having achieved the desired end, the system of isolated stoppages has been devised. The method by which the stoppages are brought about is similar to that of'the job control practised by some of the. members of the Seamen’s Union. The men act independently of the union, which, whilst assisting by placing an embargo against the filling of the vacant jobs by unionists, is able to escape tho legal responsibility for the strike. Whilst decreasing the coal production 11.0 stoppages paralyse the trade arrangements and increase the overhead charges of the mine. The evil lias affected tho industry’’so seriously that at many pits the margin of profit has been reduced to almost nothing, and there is a possibility that they will be closed down. The position generally is viewed with alarm by owners, and it is understood that unless there is considerable improvement the whole of tho mines will Be closed down and a guarantee demanded from the minors that they will abandon these tactics, do a fair day’s work, and cease striking. Owners, it is stated on their behalf, are at all times prepared to meet flic mon and di«cn«w their claims and grievances, and if settlement by that way is not possible, to refer them to arbitration, but they demand in return a cessation of the harassing tactics. They are not prepared to allow themselves to br robbed of their possessions by a. body of revolutionary extremists who compose a minority of the, members of tho Colliery Employees’ Federation. The efforts of the extremists have lost to the employees engaged in the industry millions of pounds in wages and partly paralysed that part of the foreign coal trade which, by reason of her geographical position, rightly belongs to Australia, but is being enjoyed by Japan.