THREAT OF STRIKE WITHDRAWN

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 98, 21 January 1944, Page 4

THREAT OF STRIKE WITHDRAWN

Auckland Bus Drivers

STATEMENT BY ACTING

PRIME MINISTER

An announcement that the Auckland bus drivers had decided to resume normal work and that the Government had in consequence agreed to set' up a tribunal to consider and settle the dispute over Sunday rates'of pay was made by the Acting Prime Minister, Mr. .Sullivan, last night. He issued the following statement:— "A deputation consisting of the national executive of the New Zealand Federation of Labour and representatives of the Auckland Trades Council and the Auckland Drivers’Union interviewed myself and the Acting Minister of Labour, Mr. O’Brien, today about the Auckland bus drivers’ dispute. The deputation advised the Ministers of the bus drivers’ decision to resume normal work, and asked that a tribunal be set up to delil with the dispute. “In my reply I said that the Government had all along taken up the attitude that it could not tolerate any hold-up in industry, and specially a hold-up of an industry so essent’al to the nation’s war effort as transport. The Government was glad to learn that the threats of industrial action had been withdrawn, that wiser councils had prevailed, and that work had been rtsumed and would, be carried on normally in future. In view of this radical change in the situation for the better and in view of the willingness expressed by representatives of the bus proprietors and of the Drivers’ Union to resume negotiations for a settlement of the dispute the Gcvernment would agree to set up a tribun?.] to consider and settle the dispute.” FEDERATION OF LABOUR STATEMENT The Federation of Labour made the following statement about the Auckland bus drivers’ dispute last night: — “The national executive of the Federation of Labour, accompanied by representatives of tlie Auckland Trades Council and the Auckland Bns Drivers’ Union, interviewed the Acting Prime Minister and the Acting Minister of Labour this afternoon, advised them of the Auckland drivers’ intention to resume normal operations, and asked for the setting up of a tribunal to consider and settle the dispute. . “The deputation informed the Ministers that the Drivers’ Union had placed the dispute in the hands of the Federation of Labour through the Aueklanu Trades Council, that the drivers had been recomniende-.l to resume work, and that the national executive had been asked to arrange the deputation. The recommendation to resume work was adopted by the Drivers’ Union at a meeting held that morning, and work was proceeding normally. In their reply the Ministers stated in view of the resumption of work and the undertaking that work would be carried on normally the Government would set up a disputes committee to deal with the dispute.”

NO BUSES AGAIN ON SUNDAY Wellington Decision The secretary of the road services branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, Mr. A. F. Morrison, stated last night that there would again be no buses on the Wellington-Hutt, Wel-lington-Ngaio-Khandallah and Welling-ton-Titahi Bay routes next Sunday, as the Railways Department had made no move to meet the bus-drivers’ demands. The Paraparaumu service, which operated last Sunday, will be affected, and there will be a taxi available tlierej. only for medical cases. Two regular drivers will take buses, free of charge, to the Katene memorial service at Porirtia on Sunday. These buses will leave the Porirua station, but no passengers will be accepted for Titahi Bay, as the buses will go no further than the pa where the service is to be held.