QUARRY EMPLOYEES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23481, 19 October 1939, Page 14

QUARRY EMPLOYEES

ALLEGED GRIEVANCES REQUESTS ALREADY GRANTED [BY TEIjECKAPH—OWN" COHUKSPOXDEXT] "WHANGAT!EI, Wednesday In connection with the alleged grievances of the employees at the Public Works Department's quarry at Tauraroa and the press reports of the meeting of the branch of the union there, tho Hon. F. Lark, M.L.C., of Auckland, and Mr. E. Hair, organiser of tho union, met the men at the quarry on Tuesday. An official of the Public Works Department was also present. Tho branch of tho union held a mooting 011 Monday night after the press reports of the previous meeting had appeared. To-day, Mr. E. D. Taylor, chairman of the branch, and Mr. N. Munro, secretary, said that at the mooting on Monday Mr. A. F. Long had been severely reprimanded for his action in giving an unauthorised report of the previous meeting to the press. The branch dissociated itself from this report, which Mr. Munro said was not correct in detail. Speaking of the first meeting, Mr. Munro said that the question of the non-payment of union fees had been discussed, as well as the action of the Whangarei members of the Shop Assistants' Union in passing a resolution not to pay their union duos until their alleged grievances with the union bad been rectified. In this discussion Mr. Long had been the principal speaker and lie had been deputed to ascertain what action the Shop Assistants' Union was taking and to report back to tho Tauraroa men. Discussion had taken place regarding the housing and working conditions at the quarry, said Mr. Munro, but unknown to Mr. Long, the Public Works Department had granted the men's requests for improvements oven before the press reports of the meeting appeared.