TIMBER WORKERS

Evening Star, Issue 19773, 25 January 1928, Page 4

TIMBER WORKERS

DOMINION AWARD SOUGHT Although the Commissioner endeavored to reach some settlement, the Timber Workers’ Union refused to discuss the employers’ claims filed for hearing before the Conciliation Council to-day. The union’s reason for not taking any action was that a dominion award is to be sought. Mr W. H. Hagger (Commissioner) said that the union had not filed counter claims to the employers’ demands. He had received a letter from the union stating that it would not accept the employers’ proposals, and desired to await the dominion award Conciliation Council sitting in Christchurch on February 13. “Are you standing by that to-day, or are you going to make an effort to settle the dispute so as to embody it in the Christchurch decisions? asked Mr Hagger. Mr C. A. Lucas (the union s secretary) said the Dominion Council had decided to ask for a dominion award, and all unions were abiding by that decision. Mr Hagger said that lie knew the reasons why separate disputes had been filed by the employers in such towns as Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington, where tho trade conditions were different from those in Invercargill, Southland, the West Coast, and Central Wellington. The mills in the towns did only machining, all rough work being done by tho bush nulls. The employers were of the opinion that it would he more satisfactory to have separate agreements for the towns. Mr Lucas said the local unions had to be loyal to the Timber Workers’ Federation. The Commissioner pointed out that the local sitting’s derision could be embodied in the dominion award. At Christchurch the union and employers in Dunedin would each have only one representative; at the local sitting, they would have a better opportunity to adjust matters to suit local conditions. Mr W. J. Haymes: We do not want the union to break away. Mr Hagger; It would not be breaking away? The settlement reached locally would have to he satisfactory. Tho dispute was referred to the Arbitration Court, the Commissioner stating that the court would refer the matter hack to the dominion sitting of the Conciliation Council.