OUT OF WORK

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 22 July 1925, Page 5

OUT OF WORK

TWELVE THOUSAND MINERS

ON NORTHERN COALFIELD.. COMPLETE, STANDSTILL FEARED. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. Received July 22, 11.10 a.m. SYDNEY, July 22. About twelve thousand men engaged in the mining industry on the northern coalfields have been thrown out of work as a result of the shipping liold-up. It is likely, unless th e trouble is soon settled, that operations on the mining areas will be brought to a complete standstill. CONFERENCE ADJOUKNED. MELBOURNE, July 21. The long awaited conference between representatives of the shipowners. and the disaffected maritime unions sat for about two hours and then -adjourned to, a date to be fixed to enable the seamen to consider the owners’ terms. The owners demanded that job control be abandoned, that the present system of engaging men be abandoned, that fortnightly payments and stopwork meetings be -abandoned, that men be picked up at a -s-hip’o sides outside the picking up times at the marine office, -anti that a conciliation board be appointed to s-it at Melbourne to settle disputes, these objects to be achieved by - altering certaiu clauses of the old award. The undertaking that the clauses of the altered award will be observed is to be inserted in the articles, and the rates of pay of the old award -are to be paid. The only outstanding points appear to be a desire on the part of the owners that they be relieved from the anxieties and * uncer ta-in ties which have long hampered them through the tyrannies of job control, and on the pant of the seamen that they isecure all the advantages they enjoyed under the forfeited Arbitration Court aifard. The transport group in. Sydney, although still prepared to guarantee the tei-ms of settlement agreed to by the Commonwealth Shipping Board, has definitely withdrawn from the negotiations. All shipping -activity in Sydney is at a standstill awaiting the result of the Melbourne conference, but generally the opinion is expressed that nothing will be known until the end of the week. Mr. Walsh said the seamen will have counter proposals to offer. He added that several portions of the owners’ terms would not. in any circumstances be accepted by the men. He concluded that they were quite prepared to relinquish job control, but wanted the owners to relinquish -a little control of their job, too. The chairman, in adjourning the conference, said they would adjourn until they 'heard from the seamen.

The Federal executive of the Seamen’s Union will meet on Wednesday to consider the matter. Tt is expected an announcement wilt be made on Friday as to when the conference will meet -again.