MINING POSITION AGAIN SERIOUS

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 86, 8 October 1920, Page 8

MINING POSITION AGAIN SERIOUS

PUKEMIRO UNION'S DELAY

KATIONAL DISPUTES COMMITTEE

WILL NOT MEET.

The position in the coal-mining industry is again serious owing to the delay of the .Pukemiro Union in deciding whether or not work would be resumed pending a sitting of the National Disputes Committee which would adjudicate upon the status of the engine-drivers. The Coal Mine-owners' Association had made arrangements for the .Disputes Committee to sit in Wellington yesterday, on the understanding that work ■would be resumed at Pukemiro in the morning. Work has not yet been resumed, for the union, at its meeting yesterday, decided to take a secret ballot on the proposition, and the result of that ballot would not be known -until this afternoon. Although it is stated that the union will accept the offer, the men appear to be in no hurry to resume work, and so the offer was withdrawn. Acting under the instructions of the executive of the Mine-owners' Association, the secretary (Mr. William Pryor) sent the following letter to Mr. J. Arbuckle, secretary of the Miners' Federation: — ;

"Dear Sir,—Following my earlier letter of this date, I have now to advise.you that a further meeting of my executive was : held late this afternoon, when the mine manager at Pukemiro was instructed to commence operations toiriorrow (Friday) morning if the union decided to resume work then, which would enable the meeting of the National Disputes Committee to be held in Wellington that afternoon. "Since then, however, your telephone message intimating that owing to workers residing at Pukemiro and Huntly, ballot results could not be obtained until after 2 p.m. to-morrow, and that therefore ,work would not be resumed even to-morrow morning, has been received, i

"My executive is of the opinion that the Pukemiro Union has only been trifling with the matter, and that no real effort has "been made to ha.ye operations resumed this morning in accordance with the arrangement made between you and myself for a meeting of the National Disputes Committee, or even that work 6hould be started to-morrow'morning. "In view of the fact that the Pukemiro Union has had sinco'Tuesday last, which offered amnle time, to arrive at a decision bsfore this date, and that the resumption of work this morning was a, condition precedent to the meeting of* the National Disputes Committee, my executive has decided that the only con : dition on which work can now be resumed at the mine is in accordanco with the. very reasonable proposals made to you on Saturday last as under :— .

"That the Federation ■ '-and localUnion should give an undertaking ' in, writing to be embodied in a supplementary agreement, that in the event of any -dispute or stoppage of work in themine the engine-drivers will not on any pretext whatever refuse to perform anyi duties necessary in connection with pumrMna: operations or the ventilation of the mine. 1- Yovu-s faithfully, etc." Ths o'vners have thus renewed an offer which >i:-5 plrenrly been" rejected'by the Miners', TJ-n; 0 -. I)n d the parties are as fchei v,-»rt v.-it\ ths Piikennro dispute a national rr.e.