Waikato Miners Go Back To Work

Northern Advocate, 3 April 1947, Page 5

Waikato Miners Go Back To Work

(Special) ITUNTLY, This Day. THE Waikato mine strike has been settled.

The men returned to work today, but absenteeism, which reached 50 per cent in one mine, diminished the output of the fields today, according to information received in Auckland. The decision to resume was made yesterday afternoon after union members had dismissed proposals for a settlement of the dispute drawn up at a combined meeting of the executive of the Northern Miners’ Union and mine managers, which was attended by the Minister of Mines (Mr McLagan) and the Under-Secretary of Mines (Mr 'C. H. Benney).

Resumption of work at the seven underground and four open-cast mines today will replenish dwindling coal stocks to the extent of probably 3800 tons, but there will be no more coal until next Tuesday, as the miners will be observing the Good Friday and again from the underground mines Easter Monday holidays.

There is also a dispute over a payment ■at the Pukemiro mine, which the manager said he would contest because of an alleged breach of the agreement. However, it was decided before the strike began that payment should be made in order to prevent a district stoppage of work.

An agreement made about a year ago stated that the men must be given two .weeks’ notice if they are required to work on the statutory holidays and it is understood that no suggestion was made that this condition should be waived in view of the immediate need for coal. However, arrangements have been made for men at the open-cast mines to work over Easter. NEW AGREEMENT

Events moved quickly at Huntly after the arrival of the Minister and Mr Benney yesterday afternoon. Mr McLagan and Mr Benney discussed the dispute with members of the union executive and mine managers for over five hours last night, and there was much heated discussion before the settlement proposals were framed. It was agreed at the meeting that they should be put to the members of the union as soon as possible, and it was decided that a mass meeting should be called for this afternoon. Yesterday the Minister and Mr Benney conferred with the union executive and immediately afterward they left for Wellington.

The terms of settlement were not officially announced in Huntly yesterday but the conditions under whicn the men will return to work are substantially the same as those set out in their existing agreement.

Working conditions and payments for “wet time’” workers were the basis of the dispute. Unionists demanded that the finishing time for wet shift workers should be 1.10 p.m. instead of 2 p.m. and that “wet time” payment of two hours should be paid if the men were wet in the first three hours regardless of the time worked during the shift. It is learned that there is no mention in the new agreement of an earlier finishing time. A clause in the new agreement states that if a man in a wet place had to knock off through no fault of his ov/n at any time during a shift the full two hours’ wet-time allowance shall be paid to him. “NICE WEATHER” It is stated, however, that this already has been the practice in the mines. Another of the terms of settlement is that if the men knock off wet shift work without satisfactory reason they shall be paid- half the allowance in proportion to the length of time they have worked.

When approached before he left Huntly Mr McLagan said: “My only statement is that we are having very nice weather.” Over 500 miners attended the mass meeting, which was presided over by the president of the union (Mr R. J. Dunn). He would not make a statement after the gathering beyond saying that the men would be back at work this morning. and that they would not be working at Easter. It is understood that 317 miners voted in favour of the resolution to return to work and 212 opposed it. WHAT WAS LOST Production of about 24,000 tons of coal has been withheld because of the strike and the 1400 idle mine workers have lost about £15,000 in pay. The Pukemiro mine has been idle since the beginning of last week, and the Alison mine since a week ago on Tuesday. , The other five large underground mines became idle last Wednesday, '■and the strike spread to the one pri-vately-owned and three State opencast mines last Thursday morning. Mining interests in Auckland say ■the loss of production cannot be made good and domestic users will feel the effects throughout the winter. They.,, forecast that industry cannot expect daily coal supplies before the end of next week, when firms will have to depend on hand-to-mouth deliveries for a long time.