STOPPAGE AT MINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20903, 19 June 1931, Page 10

STOPPAGE AT MINE.

TROUBLE AT GLEN AFTON.

CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY,

LOSS OF £I2OO IN WAGES.

Operations at the Glen Afton mine, 10 miles from Huntly, were stopped yesterday and between 600 aijd 700 men will have no work for two days through the miners taking exception to two boys being ordered to report to the manager for failing to work full time. The men stated that two boys, working on the surface, became wefc through on Wednesday when attending to the screens and went home before their allotted., time. On returning to work yesterday they were told to report to the manager. The men objected to the boys being reprimanded and decided not to work that day. The management thereupon declared the mine closed until Monday. Mr. C. M. Richwhite, a director, of Glen Afton Collieries, Limited, stated last evening that, according to the information he had received, two boys had'left their work at 3.30 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. and that the next morning one boy reported for duty 10 minutes, late and the other 20 minutes late. They were both sent by the foreman to the manager's office. Objecting to the boys being reprimanded, the men thereupon went on strike.

The company had a rule, said Mr. Richwhite, that in the event of a stoppage of work occurring without due notice being given to the management, the mine would be shut down for the remainder of the week. The mine was therefore closed until Monday. The loss to the men in wages, lie said, would amount-to approximately £I2OO.