BRITISH COAL

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 141, 11 December 1935, Page 9

BRITISH COAL

OWNERS AND MINERS

REPLY ON NATIONAL ISSUE

Correspondence between the "representatives of the parties to the miners' wages dispute has been published, says the "Manchester Guardian." On October 18 last Mr. Ebby Edwards, secretary of the Mineworkers' Association, wrote to Mr. W. A. Lee, secretary of the Mining Association, saying:— "In view of the repeated refusals of your association to consider jointly with the federation the question of national wages machinery, we have,, as you are aware, been presenting to the country our case for a flat rate advance of wages of 2s per shift for those over 18 years of age, and Is per shift for those under 18 years of age. My committee are now empowered by special conference to take a ballot of the coalfield on the issue. In these circumstances, my committee are prepared to discuss with representatives of the Mining Association the claim as herein stated." On October 23 Mr. Lee' replied as follows:— "If representatives of the Mining were to meet representatives of your federation they would ;not be able to deal in any way at all ►with the question of wages, whether as affecting the industry as a whole or any particular district, and all they could do would be to explain again the reasons why, in the owners' view, the only _ practicable method of wage determination in an industry like the coal-mining industry is by way of agreements between employers and employed in each of the coalfields. Do your federation think that in these circumstances a meeting with representatives of the Mining Association could serve any useful purpose? "As the-owners have explained on. previous occasions, the fundamental reason for their view that wages ia the coal-mining industry can only be dealt with on a district basis lies in the widely-varying conditions as between one coalfield and another which constitute an essential distinction between the circumstances of the coalmining industry and those of the manufacturing industries. Lest this attitude on the part of the owners might be attributed to mere prejudice, the committee think it well, to recall that it was the owners themselves who, in 1920, made, of their own initiative, the first proposals for a national wages agreement in the history of the indusery. These proposals formed. the basis of the national agreements made in 1921 and 1924. "WILIi NOT WORK." "The disastrous experience of the industry under these national agreements, which culminated in the catastrophe of 1926, demonstrated conclusively that national machinery for the regulation of wages in the coal-mining industry will-not work; and it is because the owners are convinced that the troubles which attended the operation of the previous national, agreements are inherent in the system of national regulation itself that they are not prepared to resume the discussion of wages on a national basis. "It is not necessary to remind you that complete machinery for the determination of wages and for the variation of wages from time to time exists in the various districts, and the owners feel it necessary in this connection to make one. important observation on the subject of the ballot which is referred to in the second paragraph of your letter. - "The only information which they have with regard to the question of the ballot is in the form of Press reports of the resolution carried.at the delegate conference of the federation on the 18th instant and of the draft ballot paper which is stated to have been circulated among the delegates. The draft ballot paper, as reported in the Press, asks for a vote for or against authorising the Executive Committee of the federation to press the claim for an advance, even to the extent of tendering notices, if necessary, to enforce the claim —apparently regardless of the terms of the agreements to which the mineworkers' organisations in the various districts are parties. BASIS OF BARGAINING. "The observation which I am asked to convey to you is that hitherto there has never been any question .of the miners' organisations honouring the agreements into which they have entered with the owners' organisations. Reliance on the carrying out in good faith of such agreements lies at the very basis of collective bargaining between employers and employed, and the colliery owners will not willingly believe that the Mineworkers* Federation wHI take any action which will result in the representatives of the mineworkers dishonouring their own signatures to the wages agreements which are in operation in the various coalfields." aVfter protracted deliberations the executive of the National Union of Scottish Mineworkers in Glasgow decided unanimously to recommend the miners in the Scottish coalfields to support the Miners' Federation ballot in favour of strike action if the claim for higher wages is refused. Arrangements will be made immediately to conduct the ballot on the dates provisionally fixed by the federation. The National Executive has power to suspend the ballot or even abandon it if substantial concessions are forthcoming.