TIMBER WORKERS’ DISPUTE

Evening Star, Issue 25567, 21 August 1945, Page 3

TIMBER WORKERS’ DISPUTE

MINISTER ACHIEVES SETTLEMENT (P.A.) GREYAIOUTH, August 20. The members of the Westland Timber Workers’ Union did not work to-day, the executive having directed the cessation of operations until such time as the Arbitration Court completed the pending award and included extra payment for “wet” time. - The Acting Minister of Labour, Air O’Brien, however, intervened immediately with a proposal that the men should resume on Wednesday, and that if the award did not provide wet ” time payment a meeting would be convened between the union and the employers to effect an amicable “ wet ” time settlement for the approval pf the Government. (Air O’Brien’s proposal was to-night accepted by- the union executive following an earlier meeting between the Minister and representatives of the union and employers. Air O’Brien complimented both sides upon the reasonable manner in which he had been met by all concerned. Aliy hold-up in timber production, lie said, would have a disastrous effect on the building industry, which, -because of the city housing shortage, was working at top speed. He was satisfied that the timber workers and sawmillers, now that the dispute was settled, would give in the future as satisfactory service as they had given in the past.