TIMBER INDUSTRY

Grey River Argus, 23 April 1945, Page 4

TIMBER INDUSTRY

West Coast Dispute UNION EXECUTIVE RESOLUTION. A special meeting of the Executive of the Westland Timber Industry Employers’ Industrial Union of Workers was held on Saturday to deal with the unprecedented position that has occurred in connection with the timber industry dispute. The following resolution was passed:— "That the Executive are prepared to suspend temporarily the carryingout of the resolution recommending a general stoppage—which was carried by all stop-work meetings of timber workers in Westland which were held’ recently—unless an agreement is reached by the 24th inst.; and we are prepared “ to explore every avenue that may still be open before declaring a general stoppage in all mills in Westland. Befor e any general shut-down is put into operation, 'we ask the Acting-Minister of Labour, Hon. J. O’Brien, Member for Westland, to take a hand in bringing about a settlement. This attitude is adopted because of the position the Arbitration Court was placed in through no fault of its own by the attitude adopted by. Mr A. Seed (Secretary for the N.Z. Timber Industry Industrial Union of Employers) who filed counter proposals to 'the Westland Union’s claims on 20/11/1944, as agent for the employers, and who appeared in the Court on the 10th. inst. at Wellington, stating he was representing the employers, and agreed on the Court fixing the 17th. inst. to hear the dispute, and actually conducted the case for the employers up till the employees’ agent, Mr F. Turley, had finished the case for the Union; but, on the opening of the Court the following day, instead of presenting his case, he (Mr Seed) stated that he had no power to proceed further as he actually had no authority to appear for the employers as a result of a ring from Greymouth the previous night.” The Secretary of the Union. Mr Turley, stated he was preparing a full statement on the most extraordinary attitude taken up by Mr Seed, which will appear in to-mor-row’s issue. WELLINGTON, April IS. There was an abrupt end to the hearing of the Westland timber workers’ dispute in the Arbitration Court, when the employers’ representative (Mr. A. J. Seed) informed the Court that he had no authority to act for the employers. The workers, who were represented by Mr. F. L. Turley, secretary of the union, stated their case yesterday afternoon, and the employers’ case was set down for hearing this morning. On Mr. Seed's announcement that he did not represent. the employers, the Court intimated that it could not go on with the case. In a statement subsequently, Mr. Turley expressed his concern at this sudden and unexpected development, particularly after the workers had stated their full case. “This is not the sort of thing we expected after incurring considerable expense in preparing our case and bringing delegates to Wellington,” said Mr. Turley. “Mr. Seed’s explanation was that he had been misled, and that he had no authority in the matter.” Mr. Turley added that he would consult his executive before taking further action, but he feared that this incident might lead to a general strike among the timber workers on the Coast. Mr Seed said that he had assumed that he had authority to represent the employers on the .West Coast, but owing to having received a telephone ring from one of the assessors in the case at Greymouth last night, he had to make the Court aware that there was a doubt as to whether he had the requisite authority to act in Wellington as the employers’ assessors

had not been consulted by Mr. Turley the workers’ representative, nor had the Conciliation Commissioner consulted the employers’ assessors at Greymouth in regard to taking the case in Wellington. He had agreed in the first place to the hearing on the assumption that either the work ers’ representative or the Conciliation Commissioner had consulted the Grev mouth assessors, but they had w been consulted regarding it beino- nlm in Wellington TheeetoS he conscientiously proceed. u not