GAS WORKS STRIKE

Grey River Argus, 27 April 1945, Page 4

GAS WORKS STRIKE

Renewed at Auckland against Manpower order. P -Urt nou»S> A A 2 u%XSteN directed tocher work, hoid ?S to> last ?ntil ? n 7t n ha ihe men would not reShe two directed men had been i erns; made at The decision to Hnke w XAs notXXM S r e the oXe ie uXn d ' mY A. JTrf ?he mr “two men X had been directed .W from a *'orks. Xr‘o h «e; ee n t i 1 ’X 0 n ,d oSs at today’s meeting. two retort The direction of the two it uh wSs Kmont’h" The retort house workers took exception tothe action <->f the manpower authorities, aiie o Jvictimisation, because these two men had been prominent in union affairs at the works. It was explained, officially, that these men were directed to other industries to enable the release of two Grade One men for Armv service On the following day, the men decided to resume work, pending the hearing of appeals against the directions. The Industrial Manpower Committee heard , bottl appeals last Monday, and dismissed them. Three of the strike leader* waited on the District Manpower O fleer, Mr. C. G. S. Ellis, this after noon, to discuss the direction of the two men. and the position that had arisen They indicated that the men did not intend to return to work until the two directed men had been ie~ instated in the retort house unconditionally. It was pointed out to them that the appellants were represented bv a counsel at the hearing on Monday, and that the Appeal Committee had given its decision against them, after all the facts in the case had been presented. It was also explained that the matter was now out of the hands of the Manpower Officer, as it had been taken to the tribunal which dealt with appeals against his decisions. . “If the full number of charges of coal had been put into the retorts each hour during the last week or two, the holders would have been full to-day,”-said the General Manager of the Company, Mr. R. Worley. ‘They were only half full, and there was only sufficient gas to last until midnight." “There is no object in imposing restrictions, because there will be no gas to restrict,” said Mr. Worley. “This is a matter concerning the retort house workers and the National Service Department, and it is now up to the Government to find workers for us. I have stressed to the Manpower Officer the urgent necessity for providing replacement staff immediately.” Mr. Worley said the works staff would endeavour to keep the fires in the retort house alight, but there was no chance of them being able to produce sufficient gas to enable a supply to the public. The men at the Devonport works were still at work to-night. PRINTING TRADES DISPUTE. P.A. WELLINGTON, April 2G. When the combined printing trades’ dispute came before the Court of Arbitration in Wellington to-day, it was disclosed that agreement had been reached in all matters, except classification. In conciliation council in November, 1944, the employers agreed to a modification of the classification to include in Class 1 the towns with a population of more than 2000 (the previous Class 2 related to tov.ns with a population of 6000 and under!, which would have meant increases in wages for the day workers affected as follows: For linotype operators, 10s per week; for machinists and hand compositors, 12s 6d oer week; superimposed by an increase in the night allowance from 10s “o 15s per week. This was not ratified by the Court, which, following its pronouncement of March 17, specifying standard rates of wages, referred the whole dispute back to the Council of Conciliation. As a result of altered circumstances since November, 1944, arising primarily from the Court’s standard wage pronouncement, the employers at the second Conciliation Council hearing declin' d to agree to the modification of the classification, on the ground that the increases in the case of the workers in towns of a population exceeding 2000 and under 6000 would be 16s 8d ner w.-ek for linotype operators, and 19s 2d for machinists and hand compositors, both amounts increased by the Court’s two cost of living bonuses. This, it was contended, would be inconsistent with the Court’s pronouncement. •

Mr K. Baxter appeared for the workers at to-day’s hearing, and Mr E. W. Clarkson for the emnloyors. Mr Baxter submitted that the proposed alteration to the n ;u>sii : cat.ion did not, in any sense, make for a breaking of tlie policy of economic stabilisation. Tt did seek, however, to promote a certain bending so far as the printing industry, was concerned The Court reserved its decision.