THE GOAL DISPUTE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4931, 26 July 1918, Page 6

THE GOAL DISPUTE.

•STATEMENT BY THE EMPLOYERS * 1 Press Association Toleei'am. WELLINGTON, July 25. ; The Coal Mine-owners’ Association, j in reply to the miners’ statement, rej cites lengthily the negotiations which j last year resulted in the miners ae--1 cep ting an additional bonus of 10 per ' cent, to shift workers andi 7-J per cent. Jto contractors for a term of three i years or till six months after- the j war. This agreement is still operat- ; ing The terms were refused by the ! Miners’ Federation representatives, j but accepted by the individual unions, i Therefore the owners now feel justi- | fled in refusing to meet tho Fedora- ; tion representatives, whose present j attempt t-o disturb the existing bind- : ing agreements and awards wliere- ; under the unions have been working ' amicably indicates that tile Feclera- \ tion is .slid adopting the go-slow policy which led to prosecutions in Auckland last year. The Owners’ Association is prepared- at any time to national organisation when it demonstrates indubitably that its officials have abandoned the policy of creating; industrial strife. 1 lie employers opine t-lmt up to January 10th, when the Aimers’ Federation demanded a further 20 per cent, increase in p iy, there was no sign of dissatisfaction among the minors, who' were working well, giving a good output. The owners were thus confident that tho workers had not originated the presen 1. dispute- I hero-fore the owners ted more strongly justified in refusing to meet the Federation. The employers have made an offer to the miners unions to pay an additional bonus of n per cent, to wages men and per cent, to contractors and piece-workers for working full available time in any fortnight-. The bonus is not applicable to any special contract wherefore tenders have been called. The Federation representatives > immediately instructed the unions to refuse, this offer. A return ol wages would show that if the full io e tnne i,afl }>c( ' n w-orked in IJL-13 no worker would have earned h'S tnan £3 weekly, and it would nnv c been possible to earn nearly £7 l V, ' OOK - _ , T!) ® proposed additional Hours would increase the miners’ earning power from Ss 7d to 23s 61. I !ie weekly production could be incrcr.se, 1 10 per cent., so that nil ossemM roquiremcuts could be met an tin- householders not. put to the II arti sli 1 p 01 being fireless, -as manv AH 1 . f lowing the present-cold to the emt of bYing. the _ owners point out that dm increase herein has teen less in the mining centres than elsewhere in the