COAL-MINERS' TROUBLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14282, 3 August 1908, Page 2

COAL-MINERS' TROUBLE

| ' TAIUTIJ CONFERENCE. I msrUTIO 11EMAKS UN,SETTLED. | Tile conference between the Taratu cc£ I j mine's and the Turutu Coal Company w | j continued at Kaitan.gala on Saturday mor I I ii)L r i Air A. V l , i"' 1 ); ctill presiding. 'I'J I I ,r( ' cw^'n S se -,VC 'V"-' a .quiet awl ooncili I lory nature, ana o;iol> fiitlo v.jik apparent 1 . ea.{ ( 'r lo moot the other as far as ixissib! j JJiiu neither wa-j prepared' 1o give wt ; ruthcicntly on t«.e more important cluus | j to ftiicct. ii settlement, and, in consequent j t.lio conference ended parly in the aflcrnoc | with tile following points reserved for tl | | ocnswe ration o; tlu> Arbitration Court:j Crosscut headings, stentons, tonnage rate , trucking. weighing-, ijliift wages, dips, rigi iO v.orlc sections of mine, truckers' wage preference, trippers, and labourers, ai boys _ rates. It will thus be seen that whi I.M<iGtu\'illy flll the machinery etauses wci Bottled, trucking, wcijfliing, and piece rat awa-it tho decision of the court. In regard to trucking, it was agreed Tint tlie whole of the employers' referem ouuscs be acoepted with the exception < tnc clauses relating to wages. These pn video tint a special wage teas than fixe ratce may be paid to a trucker on a agreement to t.liat effect being made b tivecn tlio manager and the union con aruitoa; that, the management may ha\ tho right lo Jet the trucking- by contract truckere over 18 yeaa's of ago who Lave bee trucking for over two years to have tti right to ballot for vacancies on the coa p:ond;d always that the manager has" tl: right, to call upon liim to act as a tniela at Lruckor3 wages for one year; any work* taken from, tlio face to work inside or on 6ide the mine to be nakl shift wages ongine-drivars to be pa-d 30s per shift overtime for shift workers to bo not lei than time and a-quarter during the wee and time and a-half for Sundays and hoi days; the provisions of tho employer reference regarding ray Saturday, right < mine manager, rights of workmen, machin work, alxaiico from work, workmen's tool and nnder-rate men were agreed to in tot< It was decided that tlio men's 6tipulatio for preference lo unionists bo struck onand tho employee' clause guarajitoeiiv n discr mination against union men "wa accepted. At the conclusion of the conference tli employers and tlifl men's delegates thanke Mr Weston for tho very fair and impartia manner in which he had. conducted th meeting. THE BRUCE SETTLEMENT. As has already been stated, the Warom: or Bruce miners, at their conference wit their employers, practically effected settlement of tho points in dispute, th two matters left to tho Arbitration Cour 'being tho questions of weighing aii' truckers' wages. Th© men aeked that a] coal bo weighed, and that thoy bo pai for gross weight, and' that truckers be pai' as follows:— Fourteen yeare of age, 3s b pot shift; an annual increase of Is pe shift to lw given until the trucker reachp tho ago of 19 years, when lie shall bo pai< The settlement between tlio two partic was 011 tile following basis:— The ballating clauses in the men's refei ciico wero practically agreed to, it beinj decidod tliat 65 per cent, of men balJo for special place.s. Piece rates were fixed at 2s 9d for over three boxes of harped coal, tho minors t' truck three cliains from the lace. 'Plies rata are for borda, headings, crosscut head ings, and 6temtons. The miners' origins demand was 3s. Dips, it was decided, are to bo workw by sliifts, a .-wage of lis per shift to h paid for this work. The miners' reference stipulated that dij>s I» contractod for. Tho clauses relating to deficient place were agreed to on tho lines of tho incn'i reference. Shift wages aro to bo 10s per shift. Wet places aro to'be paid, shift wage for a six hours' shift, and shall mean when the man are standing in water, or water j dripping upon them to an inoonvenien extent. All timbering sets aro to be done by t,h< company, but where sets are put in -workinj places by pieceworkers tho following rata aro to bo paid: 2s per set. Sets not t< exceed 6ft in length, extra to bo paid' whet tl'.ey do so. Any placo miner to lie paid shift wages when doing other work inside or outside the jurne. All tools to be sharpened free of cost t< the workmen. Boxes to be equally distributed, providec each miner can fill his turn. Men 011 shift work to bo paid as followf for overtime: Time and a-quarter for extrn wont doiio through tho week, ami time awl a-half for work done on Sundays am] -holidays. No overtime to be worked on piece rates iNo non-unionist to lw employed while a unionist is available. The co.mpa.ny to cut all timber to the required length, and placo in working places. 0 Pug to be paid for at the rate of 6d per box, and dross to be paid for at 4d per Engine-drivers to be paid 9s per shift, and (women to be paid 8s per shift. It was resolved by both parties that their dispute would not be argued before the court at all, each agreeing l to accept the courts await! j n other eras as a basis for settlement of the poinU dill in dispute— truckers wages and weighiii". kaitangata conference. This morning at 11 o'clock the miners employed in the Kaitangata and Castle Hill colliories will meet their employers at, a conference, held for tho purpose of considering tlio demands made by masters and men in references framed for the consideration of tho Arbitration Court. The men hd>\o been cited by the Kaitangata Coal Company, and the lattcr's reference is that known as tlio uniform reference. The men ask for tonnage rates of 2s 3d for herds, headings, levels, stcnions, and crosscut headings; 2s pe,. ton for pillar and for head coal with less than 4ft carry; all coal to be weighed, and the company to do trucking; truckers 11 years of ago to be paid 3s 6d, and a rise of 6d to take place every six months till the age of 20! is reached, when the trucker wiJJ receive IDs per shift; no coal to be worked at shift wages where piece rates have been fixed, but men in cases of emergency to bo employed filling coal at 10s per shift; all dips to be contracted for; engine-drivers to to paid 10s and firemen 9s. THE ALLANDALii CONFERENCE. Tho AUandale conference was fixed as the last 011 the list, to take placo after tho Kaitangata meeting. If tho latter concludes sufficiently early to-day the Allandalc meeting will take place to-morrow, but if not it must, necessarily stand over, as the first of the coalmining cases (Green Island) comes before the Arbitration Court on Wednesday.