WAIKATO COAL MINES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22963, 19 August 1936, Page 10

WAIKATO COAL MINES

STOP-WORK MEETINGS HELD DISPUTES WITH EMPLOYERS MEN DESIRE ADJUSTMENT (Per United Press Association) AUCKLAND, August 18. No work was done at the Renown, Glen Afton, and Rotowaro mines today. when the 700 men employed attended a series of meetings at Huntly to discuss points that are in dispute with the employers. It was decided after a lengthy discussion to resume work to-morrow, pending further negotiations with the employers and with the national organisation concerned with the hearing of disputes. The meetings held to-day were prolonged, but orderly, and the decision to return to work was unanimous. Work was not interrupted at either the Pukemiro or Wilton mines. ATTITUDE OF THE MINERS A statement covering the miners’ attitude and explaining the reasons for their ceasing work was made by Mr T. Hall, jun., secretary of the Northern Coal Mines Industrial Union of Workers. “ In the last six months we have had six disputes not covered by the existing agreement,” Mr Hall said. “ Under a clause in the agreement we are entitled to demand what is called a Disputes Committee to be set up representing both the employers and the employees for the purpose of discussing points in dispute. Failing a decision, there is the right to appoint an independent chairman, whose decision is final. “ Wo have approached the Coal Mine Owners’ Association three times in the last five weeks asking that they should meet us and discuss matters not covered by the agreement,” Mr Hall continued. “On Saturday we received a definite reply from Mr T. O. Bishop, secretary of the Now Zealand Coal Mine Owners’ Association, that the employers were not prepared to meet us. We went to work yesterday because we had decided that failing a favourable reply from the Coal Mine Owners’ Association we should stop the mines this morning in order to discuss the matter. We notified the mine owners to that effect a week ago. MEN NOT ON STRIKE " It is in no sense a strike,” Mr Hall said, " but owing to the mines being scattered a day off is required to get round all the members organised in the district. A meeting was held at the railway station this morning and it was intended to go to work to-day in spite of the previous decision, but the meeting was so prolonged that the trains and buses left for the mines without the men. By this evening the whole of the members of the union had reached one decision—to return to work to-morrow pending further negotiations. The points It was proposed to bring before the Disputes Committee related to the payment of miners engaged in assisting truckers in the Renown mine, this work not being covered by the agreement, and the payment of miners at the M’Donald mine at Glen Afton engaged in ' drawing timber,’ which is the miners’ term for removing props in a pillar retreat.” EMPLOYERS IN THE DARK " We received no notification of the stop-work meeting, and we do not know now what it is about,” said the president of the New Zealand Coal Mine Owners’ Association (Mr W. D. .Holgate), when he was asked whether he could throw any light, on the action of the miners. Mr Holgate explained that a conference was held in Wellington last month between the Mine Owners’ Association and the United Mine Workers’ Union, when the owners were told that the men desired to have the wages and conditions of 1931 restored. The following day the legislation on this point was passed, and the representatives of the workers were again met, It was agreed that the 1931 wages ami conditions were to be restored, and it was understood that the agreement would remain in force until the end of this year. ’’Since then there have been innumerable stop-work meetings, which have disorganised our business very considerably,” Mr Holgate said. “In fact, the business of the companies has been disorganised in this way during the past two or three months. We have never been given any reasons. Wo have heard rumours, but we cannot take any notice of these.” Mr Holgate said that all the agreements were made by the mine owners with the miners’ Dominion organisation, and it was not customary to negotiate with the men in any one district. No request had been made by the Waikato miners for a conference since the 1931 rates were restored. He said that the owners had never refused to meet the men in conference, and they knew that if they ever wanted to meet the owners they had only to make application through the United Mine Workers’ Union to the Mine Owners’ Association.