TENSE MOMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22933, 11 January 1938, Page 12

TENSE MOMENTS

CONCILIATION COUNCIL LATE COUNTER-PROPOSALS UNION ASSESSOR OBJECTS [by TELEGRArH —PRESS ASSOCIATION'] CHRISTCHUKCH, Monday Allegations by a union representative of "double crossing" on the part of a section of the employers, and a further allegation that one of tho employers had "twisted," made the opening minutes of the plasterers' dispute in Conciliation Council this morning tense. After a private conference with the Conciliation Commissioner, Mr. Ilitchio, Mr. D. I. Mac-Don aid, representing the firms employing fibrous plasterers, withdrew. Application was made by tho Christchurch Plasterers' Union for an award. Recognition Relused Emphatic objection to last-minute counter-proposals lodged by Mr. MacDonald was mado by tho union representatives, who refused to recognise Mr. Mac Donald's claims in the dispute. When the meeting opened Mr. MacDonald announced that ho proposed to submit counter-proposals on behalf of three employers. "Them eeem« to bo some doublecrossing somewhere," commented the workers' assessor, Mr. H. Harries, "We are certainly not going to accept them." Mr. Mac Donald: If the counterproposals are not accepted the whole of the proceedings will be objected to. Mr. Harries: By whom? Mr. Mac Donald: By tho people I'm representing. Three Weeks Late Mr. W. C. Pollard, the employers' representative, explained that a meeting of employers had been called and everyone notified of it. Certain proposals had been agreed to and lie thought it was only a matter of coining aloug to-day to reach a settlement. Now Mr. MrcDonald had come along with other proposals, but he Avas three weeks late. Mr. Harries pointed out that there were 130 plasterers in tho union, and that only seven were employed by the minority as represented by Mr. MacDonald* They should go to the Court for an exemption. After a private discussion between the union representatives and the Conciliation Commissioner, which lasted more than an hour, Mr. Ritchie formally appointed the assessors with the exception of Mr. Mac Donald.