BREACH OF AGREEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21234, 14 July 1932, Page 10

BREACH OF AGREEMENT.

The coalmining companies and the Northern Miners' District Council have been given cause for righteous indignation by the action of the men of the Renown mine in refusing-to start work yesterday morning because the manager did not iiYclude in his selection of three new hands a man of their choice, who was one of 70 with claims for the job. At Pukemiro there was also a stop-work meeting over the non-engagement of a man who had been employed at the time of the strike, but there was practically no delay, and the owners promptly gave orders for his reengagement, as they were bound to do under the terms of the agreement. The Renown incident, however, must be regarded as serious under the circumstances. There was not a shadow of justification for the stoppage of work and, if it had jeopardised the continuance of the agreement at this mine, the section of (hp union there employed would have had no one to blame but themselves. In the clearest possible language the agreement defines the rights of the management in dismissing or engaging men and lays down the mode of procedure in the event of a dispute on the Question. The manager "shall ,have the right to select the men to be retained in consideration of their suitability for the work to be done. In engaging men he shall give preference to exemployees of the mine if, in his opinion, they are suitable for the work to be done." In the event of an allegation of victimisation or injustice there is to be investigation

by the owners' and miners' representatives, who if they fail to agree shall appoint an independent chairman, whose decision shall be final and binding. The ink of this agreement had hardly dried before the Renown miners tore it up, That they resumed work in three hours upon the advice of the District Council does not absolve them of breach of contract. Whatever their case, the honourable course was to have presented it in the manner agreed upon without any interruption of, work. The District Council officials are to be congratulated upon their prompt and successful intervention, but, notwithstanding the settlement they have brought about, the incident will create an uneasy feeling in the public mind as to the dangers of sectional irresponsibility. The industry cannot countenance any interruptions of this kind, and a repetition of that which occurred at the Renown mine yesterday will justify the owners taking what steps they deem necessary for the stability of their enterprise. The miners must be loyal to the agreements they endorse and realise that sectional attempts at job control may have grave consequences.