CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20316, 26 January 1928, Page 3

CONCILIATION COUNCIL.

TIMBER WORKERS. Mr W. H. Hagger, Conciliation Commissioner, had brought before him yesterday morning a dispute that had arisen between the Timber Workers’ Union and the employers, The uuiou declined to discuss the claims made by the employers on the ground that it is seeking a Dominion award. Mr Haggar said that the union had not filed counter claims to the employers’ demands. He had received a letter from the union stating that it would not accept the employers’ proposals, and desired to await the Conciliation Council sitting in Christchurch on February 13, when a Dominion award' would be considered. He asked the representatives of the union if they were going to make an effort to settle the dispute, so as to embody it in the Christchurch decision, or were they standing by the attitude they had now taken up. Mr C. A. Lucas (the union secretary) said the Dominion Council had decided to ask for a Dominion award, and all unions were abiding by that decision. Mr Hagger said that he knew the reasons why separate disputes had been filed by the employers in as Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington, where the trade conditions were different from those in Invercargill, Southland, the West Coast, and Central Wellington. The mills in the towns did only machining, all rough work being done by the bush mills. The employers were of the opinion that it would be more satisfactory to have separate agreements for the towns. . , ■ . . j . Mr Lucas said the local unions had to be loyal to the Timber Workers’ FederaThe Commissioner pointed out that any decision that was reached could be embodied in the Dominion award. At Christchurch the union and employers in Dunedin would each have only one representative; at the local sitting, they wou t have a better opportunity to adjust matters to suit local conditions. Mr J. Haymes: We do not want the union to break away. Mr Hagger: It would not be breaking away. The settlement reached locally would have to be satisfactory. The dispute was referred to the Armtration Court, the Commissioner stating that the court would refer back to the Dominion sitting of .nc Con ciliation Council.