Commissioner to Negotiate in Tramway Issue

Evening Star, Issue 26135, 24 June 1947, Page 4

Commissioner to Negotiate in Tramway Issue

A stalemate having been reached in discussions over the alteration of the roster for the operation of city trams during the currency of the electric power cuts, a fresh meeting of the Disputes Committee is to be held to-morrow evening, and the chairman will be the Conciliation Commissioner, Mr A. B. Rigg, of Christchurch, This latest development follows the failure of the committee to reach any agreement after sitting for an hour and a-half last night, and the decision to enlist the services of the Conciliation Commissioner was made to-day by the officer in charge of the Department of Labour in Dunedin, Mr W- H. Cadwallader. “ I consider it extremely likely that under a chairman so well versed in dealing with industrial disputes as Mr Rigg an amicable settlement will be reached,” Mr Cadwaliader said. Following the breakdown iu the negotiations at the meeting of the Disputes Commitee last nignt, the president of the Dunedin Tramways Union, Mr W. B. Richards, announced that a further corfference of the executive of the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Tramways Union would be held this afternoon, and that if a settlement vyere not reached the union would hold a stop-work meeting on Thursday. Ndw that the Conciliation Commissioner is involved, it is believed that any decision to conduct a stop-work meeting will be withheld until after the Disputes Committee meeting, which is arranged for 7.30 p.m. in the office of the Department of Labour. The Disputes Committee, which was called together last night in terms of the award, will consist of the same personnel as at Thursday’s meeting. The City Corporation was represented by Cr McCrae, Or Wright (who deputised for Cr Connolly, M.P.), and Mr L. C. Greig, the transport engineer. The union’s representatives were Messrs W. B. Richards. L. McEntee, and A E. Scoones, Cr McCrae, who is chairman of the City Council’s Transport Committee, emphasised to-day that if either party was dissatisfied with the decision of the Appeal Committee, it could appeal to the Arbitration Court within one month following the court’s receipt of the decision of the committee. NATIONAL AGREEMENT. THOUGHT UNLIKELY (P.A.) (WELLINGTON, June 23. There was very little likelihood of the. employers complying with the request of the National Council of the New Zealand Tramways Employees’ Union that negotiations for a national agreement should be commenced prior to June 30, said Mr P. A. Hansen, national secretary of the union ( tonight.

Mr Hansen said it was-not for him to say what action was to be taken, but ,in view of the lack of response, on the employers’ part, he had considered it necessary to call a meeting of the national executive for next week. The meeting would review the position, and instruct him as to the next step to be taken. There was no doubt in his mind, he said, as to the seriousness of the position. He had received communications from more than. one. branch of his union expressing dissatisfaction at the delay in completing a matter of paramount importance.