NGAHERE GOLD DREDGE

Evening Star, Issue 23744, 27 November 1940, Page 12

NGAHERE GOLD DREDGE

THIRTY MEN IDLE DISPUTE OVER KING’S BIRTHDAY OBSERVANCE [Per United Pres? Association.] GREYMOUTH, November 26. The Ngahere gold dredge, one of the largest producers on the West Coast, hasT been idle since yesterday, when the men observed the King’s Birthday holiday. To-day, 30 employees, comprising the whole crew, except the watchman, received notices of dismissal, including a statement that there would be no re-eimao-ement until a satisfactory agreement’ as to statutory holidays was reached. j A clause in the dredge workers award includes the King’s Birthday as a day on which the wages payment is at the rate of time and a-half, and, as practically all the dredges in the district do not work on such days, the union contends that the King s Birthday is a statutory holiday without pay. Recently the Westland Union, in consideration of several concessions, agreed to maintain minimum crews to operate the dredges on statutory holidays, except on Christmas Day. Boxing D n ' r> and New Year’s Dav, which would be regarded as close holidays. At Ngahere no work was done on Labour Day, and no action was taken by the company. The union contends that the position in regard to the King s Birthday is exactly the same. An offer was made by the union today that the men would resume provided they suffered no loss of wages, but up to this evening this had not been accepted by the company. The Minister of Labour (Mr Webhl, who was informed of the stoppage, announced that he would arrange for an officer of the Labour Department to make an investigation, including the management’s refusal to allow the workers to resume. He stated, however, that it would he necessary for work to he resumed. Tn view of the management s attitude it is considered unlikely that an investigation can be made hv a Labour Department officer. Mr Webb is in touch with the company’s officials in an effort to end the deadlock.