WEST COAST MINES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21646, 17 May 1932, Page 8

WEST COAST MINES

THE OWNERS’ ULTIMATUM STOP-WORK MEETINGS HELD (Peb United Press Association.) GREYMOUTH, May 16. Stop-work meetings were held at all the district mines this morning, except at Blackball, which is working. Wallsend and Dobson resolved to support the council’s recommendation that the owners’ new terms be not accepted. These are idle pending a conference. The State mine’s voting was 282 for a strike and 10 against. MEN SEEK CONFERENCE PROPOSAL UNDER CONSIDERATION. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON,. May 16. In connection with the possible trouble at the West Coast coal mines, it was ascertained to-day that a request had been received by the Coal Mine Owners’ Federation from the Miners’ Union for a conference, and the matter was being considered. THREATENED STOPPAGE OF WORK (Per United Press Association.) GREYMOUTH, May 16. The Chamber of Commerce, at a special meeting, considered steps to assist in averting the possibility of a general stoppage of the .coal industry of the district. It was resolved to telegraph the Prime Minister (Mr G. W. Forbes), the Mine Owners’ Association, and the Associated Chambers of Commerce, the following re-. solution:—“This chamber views with concern the threatened stoppage of the mines, but from information received believes that the judicious handling of the matter immediately would effect settlement satisfactory to both parties. The chamber suggests that preferably the Coal Owners Association should meet the miners unions in conference immediately; but if a conference is not held, that the association and the unions take all possible steps to expedite the determiation of the matters in dispute under the provisions of the Labour Disputes Investigation Act; also, that the association. and the unions be asked, in the public interest, to keep the mines working pending a settlement, and that it be a condition that the rate of pay and other matters be retrospective to the date of the stoppage, if such occurs. THE OWNERS’ PROPOSALS EMPHATICALLY TURNED DOWN. THREAT TO LEAVE WORK. (Per United Press Association.) WESTPORT, May 16. A largely attended meeting of the Denniston Miners’ Union was held at Denmston at 10.30 this morning to receive the District Council’s report. The whole of the coal owners’ proposals were emphatically turned down. A communication was sent to Mr Bishop asking him to meet representatives of the miners’ organisations at a conference, but it was reported that no reply had yet been received. Instructions were given to all unions affiliated to remain idle until instructed by the council to resume. A recommendation was'forwarded from the District Council to the National Council that unless the ultimatum handed to the miners was withdrawn by the end of the week all the northern and southern miners’ unions should be asked to cease work. Messrs Hayward and Evans were appointed to hold themselves under orders to proceed to Australia to collect funds for the New Zealand miners. A cablegram was despatched to the federated miners’ unions of Great Britain asking their assistance, and it was decided, if necessary, that two delegates proceed to the Old Country to put the case before the Home unions. An endeavour is being made to get into touch with the miners’ organisations of Russia. Each miners’ union affiliated with the District Council was instructed to nominate two men to canvass New Zealand for assistance when required. Messrs T. Whittle and T. Muir were nominated from Denniston. The rate of pay while idle .will be: Single men. 8s a week; half, members, ss; and a married man and wife, 15s, with 2s 6d for each child. The docket system will be employed. The sum of £ls was voted to the District Council as a nucleus of the fund to defray the expenses of the New Zealand collectors. Deputies have been asked to down tools and co-operate, and the Seamen’s and Waterside Workeis’ Union has been requested to give its moral support, particularly in the handling of coal. All industrial unions outside the miners’ organisations have been asked to lend their aid, not in cash, but in kind. The reduction under the new proposals will roughly mean 2d per ton on coal at Denniston and 4id at Dobson. The wet time clause removal will mean a loss of 4s a day to the men. In addition, there will be no walking time and no minimum wage, and the general reduction would amount to from 15 to 20 per cent, all round. At a meeting of the union yesterday the following resolution was passed, and has been forwarded to the Prime Minister and Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposiaion:—“That this meeting of the Denniston Miners’ Union is emphatically of the opinion that the Coalition Government is entirely responsible for the outbreaks and riots which have taken place at Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin by its treatment of the unemployed in forcing men into slave camps and its failure to provide work at reasonable wage or give adequate assistance or sustenance to those for whom work could not be provided. We therefore call on the Government immediately to resign and submit its policy to the people of the Dominion for their judgment.” The Stockton and Millerton miners carried a similar resolution. MEETING OF MINERS’ COUNCIL STATEMENT BY SECRETARY. A special meeting of the West Coast Miners’ Council, was held in Greymouth during the week-end to consider the situation created by the coal companies' ultimatum cancelling agreements and imposing new conditions to operate from May 16. The local representatives of the Miners’ National Council also attended the meeting. At the conclusion of the conference the following telegram was sent to Mr T. 0. Bishop, secretary of the Coal Miners’ Association, Wellington:— “ Companies’ terms rejected. Miners desire withdrawal of terms and arrangement of conference with owners’ representatives to discuss new district agreement at earliest date.” In a statement made after the meeting Mr Purdie said that in past years it had been customary for representatives of the district, miners and the district owners to meet in conference to discuss terms for a new agreement embracing the whole district, the old agreement remaining in force until superseded by the new one, even although its normal period of currency might have expired. On the present occasion the owners, said Mr Purdie, had made very important departures from the recognised practice. First, they had made no move to meet the miners’ representatives to discuss the new agreement. Instead, they had adopted the autocratic procedure of saying to the miners: “These are our terras; you must accept them. We shall not allow you to have a voice in determining the wages rates and wor king conditions in the industry." Secondly, they had cancelled the still existing agreement; and thirdly, they had, contrary to the wishes of miners, gone behind the backs of the Miners’ District Council and had served their ultimatum upon individual miners’ unions. Plainly the owners recognised that unity was strength, and while maintaining their own organisation intact they had disorganised the miners. Mr Purdie said that the meeting also drew up detailed proposals to meet the situation that would arise in the event of the coal companies maintaining their present attitude. ,

DECISION TO STRIKE SEVERAL MINES CEASE WORK OWNERS’ “ ULTIMATUM ” RESENTED. (Special to Daily Times.) CHRISTCHURCH, May 16. Following stop work meetings all over the West Coast mining district this morning all the union miners in the Grey and the Buller districts decided to go out on strike as a protest against the new working agreement which the New Zealand Coal Mine Owners’ Association has asked them to accept. All the principal mines, with the exception of that at Blackball, were idle today. The miners affected include those at the Dobson, Wallsend, and State mines in the Grey district, Rewanui and Point Elizabeth, and the mines at Denniston, Millerton. Wpstport-Stockton, and Granity in the Buller area.

It is stated that fully 1500 men are on strike and their union representatives said to-day that unless the Owners’ Association agreed to withdraw the'’ terms they have offered and made arrangements for a conference with the union over the new agreement they would remain on strike. If the owners agreed to this the men would return to work immediately.

On Thursday last each individual union in the district received a copy of the new terms under which the owners stated they intended to work the mines in future, the new conditions to operate from Monday. This the men regarded as in, the nature of an ultimatum and contrary to the usual practice of referring the terms to the Miners’ District Council. The District Council held a meeting on Saturday, deciding to recommend to the unions that the terms be rejected and that a conference be asked for. This decision was intimated to the owners* organisation in Wellington yesterday. All the mines held stop work meetings and endorsed the council’s recommendations, with the result that all the mines are now idle and only the mines worked on the contract and tribute system, which are in a minority, are working. According to statements made by the miners’ representatives they resent not only the terms of the new working agreement which they claim represent a lowering of wages generally and worse working conditions in the mine, but the precipitate way in which the association presented its “ ultimatum.” The men working in the State mines are not concerned in the terms submitted by the owners, but are out in sympathy with the other unionists. The main items under dispute included in the owners’ new terms were outlined to-day by a man prominent in mining on the West Coast. He said the new agreement meant, broadly speaking, that some of the concessions which were granted by the owners to the men during abnormal economic periods—the Great War for instance—were to be removed. In ordinary circumstances under normal conditions of supply and demand these would never have been granted. There had been a time of great demand for coal during which the owners gave away so much in the way of special working concessions in order to avoid disputes and stoppages and the consequent lack of coal until the position had now become unbearable. As an instance he referred to the minimum wage clause in the old agreement which, under the new terms, the owners wished to abolish 'absolutely. This was not generally granted until 1919 at a time when coal was greatly in demand. Incidentally. he said, the concession had been greatly abused. A regulation stipulated that tlie minimum should be 16s 2d a day, and if, through certain circumstances such as wet working conditions or minor mishaps, a miner was unable to earn this under his contract the owners had to make up the deficiency. It was claimed that this concession had been abused. The owners now wanted to delete the minimum clause in order to conform with the working conditions which existed prior to 1919. Another of the new pToposals was the abolition of_ the twohour break allowed men working on wet time; that is, men working on faces where water was seeping through or where their clothes became damp. Under the old agreement, which had expired nearly two years ago, the men worked in six-hour shifts and were allowed two hours each as a break, for which they were paid at approximately 2s 3d an hour. They were now being asked to work for eight hours, and as compensation /or loss of the two hours they would be paid 10 per cent, extra on the day’s earnings. The owners terms also proposed the reintroduction of propping and trucking by the miners. Under the old system men were engaged to do trucking at set rates. The new terms proposed that in isolated places where it was found necessary, each pair of miners would do their own trucking and would be paid at extra rates for doing it. This practice was already in operation in sorqe mines. The owners also proposed that no payments should be made in future for the erection of props in the mines. It was only during the last three or four years that payment had been made. Prior to that the men had done their own propping. The new conditions, if adopted, would mean no reduction in the staffing of the mines, he continued, and would certainly facilitate the production of coal to a great extent. Some constant sources of stoppage would be removed, but the men seemed to think that they were losing valuable concessions for which they had fought. He had heard that all the unions were unanimous in their votes for the rejection of the proprietors’ terms, but he believed that the strike would not last long, once the owners’ association agreed to a conference with the men. The stoppage of work could not affect the country’s sunpplies of coal seriously, for there was plenty coming in from Australia, and the co-operative and tribute miners who were not concerned in the dispute were producing a lot of coal. The co-operative and tribute men working on the State area were producing 100.000 tons yearly. The secretary of the West Coast Miners District Council (Mr W. Purdie) said to-clay that all the union wanted was a conference with the owners, the terms of the new agreement to be-withdrawn in the meantime. The men would then return to work.

Giving his opinion on some of the recommended alterations in the agreement, Mr Purdie stated that previously for the two hours allowed them during wet time work the miners were given rates at 20 per cent, of the day’s pay. Under the new clause, they would work during that two hours and receive 10 per cent, of the rate. In their protest against the abolition of the minimum wage the men contended that working in some places in the mines it was impossible to earn a living wage. Another protest the miners had to make was against the proposal to raise the charge against them for coal for their own use. * The present charge was 7s a lon. The owners propose to charge them three times ns much, he claimed, and the miners claimed that this represented an indirect reduction in their wages. Mr Purdie thought that the reintroduction of timber setting without payment would lead to the men taking fewer precautions for their own safety during their work. Previously they had been paid Gd a prop; now they, would be paid nothing. “ But what we resent almost as much as these reductions is the high-handed and autocratic way the owners have presented their own working agreement.” Mr Purdie concluded. “The ultimatum was only served on Thursday, and in a take it or leave it way, which we do not like.”