MINERS' POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 30, 4 August 1921, Page 8

MINERS' POLICY

WILL RESIST LOCAL AGREEMENTS

MORE ABOUT "THE LAST DITCH"

' ."y ■ \ RENEWAL OF NATIONAL AGREE

MENT SOUGHT.

With the mine-owners fighting for ' local agreements and the Miners' Federation determined to stand or fall by a, national agreement, the position of the coal milling industry is fall of interoßt just now, and developments are being closely watched. Since the failure of this year's conference between the Owners' Federation - and the Miners' Federation, the former has cited individual unions under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The dispute as far as the southern district is concerned was to have been considered in Dunedin to-day. Mr.i Arbuckle, secretary of the federation, informed a Post ■ representative that no Miners' Union •would be represented at tho Conciliation 1 Council proceedings, the unions having ' decided unanimously to ignore tho pro- ■• ceedings. The same course would be ; followed in all the other districts. Should ■;; the Arbitration Court. attempt to make '} an agreement or award overriding the !! existing agreement, the miners were ■i fully prepared to cease work. The miners ), would fight for an extension of the pre- '; sent national agreement with such alterations as might be deemed advisable. ■J ANOTHER CONFERENCE SWG- % GESTED. The Miners' Federation believes that, : if the present national agreement is, taken -■ as,a basis, a. settlement can be arrived at if a further conference were held between i' the parties. Jo this, end, Mr. Arbuckle ■ wrote to the mine owners in the follow- ; > ing terms :— ■ i .';■ "I i have been instructed to informi • you that the Miners' Federation is prei; pared to discuss a settlement of the pre- '! sent, dispute in the coal-mining industry ;;; with your association, on the basis of the i present national, agreement, with a right ",'. to diicuiss hours' of work. ' . t, "If this is 1. suitable. to your associa- •<■■ Won, we would be,pleased to appoint rs- > presentatives to meet you at the earliest £ possible date.'' ■ , V. "In reference to the'action of your f, •association in filing cases against mdi J. vidual unions in the Arbitration Court, t we cptsiaer'this a distinct breach of the £ present national, agreement,, and at the •> annual*. conference of the miners? dele--5 gates, just finished in Wellington, ' it was J ( ' decided definitely'that on no 'considera- ? tion, would individual unions be prepared m to enter into individual or, district agree- * ments, either through the Arbitration ». Court or otherwise:" | LOCAL.'AGREEMENTS WANTED. % The above letter was dated 15th July. ;j The owners' reply, dated 2nd August, j* Jvas:aS'follows:—."ln reply to your letter tV 1 am instructed to say that the several t coal mining companies belonging to this *'. association;are not prepared, to consider the making of a new national agreement '£ with your federation, and it does not ', therefore appear'that any good result •' .would be likely to arise out of a confer- * ende stfch as yon' snggestjbetw^en ,the j two rorganiaations. 'This association rel grets that your,federation is so strongly ■'; opposed' to" the' making" of local agree-" merits between, the miners' unions and their employers, and I beg to- suggest tliat the president and secretary of your , federation might meet the president of This association andmyself to discuss the grounds of your opposition, with the object of ascertaining whether your opposition to local agreements cannot be overcome." „• TO "BREAK UP THE FEDERATION? Mr. Arbuckle to-day sent the following letter to Mr. Bishop, acting-secretary of^ the Owners' Association:—"ln: reply to^your letter of the 2nd inst.,. in which you state that the several mining companies belonging to the Coal-mine Owners Association are not prepared to • enter into a new 'national agreement, I desire to say that I think this is to be regretted; as the Coal Miners' Federation will not consider the /making of local r agreements' for any other purpose than to cover local conditions. Therefore if the coalrowners are setting themselves, out to burst up the present national agreement it will cost them and this country more pounds than perhaps they are prepared to , risk, for I can assure you that the miners of this country will fight to the last ditch, before , , they give up, and if they are'defeated they will fight to/recover their loss at the first opportunity. , "I would like to draw your attention to thefact tfyat 1 it has cost'the Govern- : ment a very large sum of money—also V the owners and the miners—to bring . abont the national agreement, and at the ". conference held Mr. Masseyi expressed ;; the wish that it would mean for ;* some time' to come. This sentiment ivas " endorsed by the coal-owners- and the ; miners, and now we have the owners re- • fusing to continue an agreement that un- , doubtedly has been the means of keeping i' the coal industry in a more settled state . than ever it was previously. And as there is nothing in the national agree- ■ menfc that does not apply to all miners, . there can only be one reason for the v present attitude of your association, v and that is the separation of the different unions and the bursting up of / the federation so that you will be able ; to defeat the unions singly and enforce :, all the old conditions which were a dis- ' grace to the coal-owners.' : "In regard to the request that the j ;: president and myself meet'you and the' .-, president'of your association to try and ;' overcome our opposition to the local : agreements,'l must-state in-reply- that / such a meeting would bo fruitless, as the i, miners at their recent conference decided ;, to stand or fall by.: the. national . agree- ■<■• ment. This action has been endorsed li by the unions, so you must see that a :,•!; conference would be only a waste of time antl money. ■■"--'■' "I' hope that your association will reconsider Hs decision and ..meet the "federation representatives with a view to settling the present national agree- < ment for a further term." .