WORK IN COAL MINES

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 April 1938, Page 4

WORK IN COAL MINES

WORLD CONFERENCE IN MAY. Government employers’ and workers’ representatives from nearly, all the important coal-producing countries are expected to attend: a world < cal conference which will open in Geneva, on May 2. The conference, which has 1 been convoked by the International Labour Organisation, should lasi about two weeks.

Modelled upon the lines of the world, textile conference, held by the 1.L.0. in Washington last April, the coal conference has as its purpose “the consideration of the question, of reduction of hours, of work in coal mines, account being taken of the economic. and social factors which may have a. bearing on hours of work in ihat industry.”

Although purely of an advisory character, it is expected; to make valuable suggestions to the International Labour Conference, which meets in Geneva in .June, and which will have to consider the same question.

It. is hoped that, just as the Washington Textile Conference paved the way for (he adoption, at last year’s Labour Conference, of a forty-hour week convention, or international agreement, for the textile industry, to the world coal conference will be able to pave the way for a future agreement regajrding. reduction of

. woi'King nours in me coai-mining industry. Because of the. arduous nature of j heir work, miners in various Euro- ( pcan countries have made repeated attempts to obtain a reduction in their, . working hours by means of international agreements. In 1935-36 an effort was made to obtain a 38! t '-hours I convention. But, for the adoption of Isuch a convention by the International Labour Conference, a two-thirds maIjority vote is required, and when the | proposal came before . the 1936 ses- ' sion of the conference for final decision. it was, defeated by four votes. Immediately afterwards, however, the conference adopted a resolution sponsored by the French and the United States Government delegates, mnnnsHno' tho p-nvorni no* hnrfv nf tllß

irtlJUCOUllg lllG foW V V-l UlUb UUUJ 1 1 1.L.0. to convene a preparatory conI Terence on the coal-mining industry with a. view to reaching’ an undertaking as to hours of work in the industry. It was in response to this resolution that, the world coal confercl cnee was called. Each Government, has been asked I .!<> send three delegates' to the con- I 1 ; fcronee; one representing the Govern- I L ment, one the employers, and one the I 'workers. Delegates may be accom- | 'panied by expert advisers. These are I i. permitted to speak, but not to vote. I ■ The governing, bodj" of the 1.L.0. | , w ill be represented at the coal cou--1 fcrence by Mr Frederick W. Leggett, I its chairman, and the British Government representative; Mr Hans C. Oersted, Danish employers’ representative; and Mr Robert J. Watt, United States workers’ representative.