FEWER DISPUTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25428, 8 January 1944, Page 6

FEWER DISPUTES

INDUSTRIAL TROUBLES COAL MINING AGAIN FIRST Less time was lost in industrial disputes throughout New Zealand in the first nine months of last year than in any similar period since the war began. Coal mining heads the list as the industry which has lost the most working hours, and it has taken second place only once in the last four years. Up to September 30 of last year, the latest date for which official figures are available, industrial disputes were responsible for the loss of 9152 working days. This is a small figure compared with the 50,345 days lost in the same period of 1942. Other comparative figures are:—l94l, 24,029* 1940, 19,667; 1939, 44,551. The working day's lost are counted as those during the actual period of the dispute. The latest Abstract of Statistics shows that there were 48 Industrial disputes throughout the Dominion up to September 30, against 57 m the same period of 1942. Fifty-three firms were affected, and 7491 workers were involved. The approximate loss of wages to the workers was £12,750. This is a substantial reduction on the figure of £61,823 in the same period of 1942.

The coal mining industry had 29 disputes in the period under review, in which 7529 working days were lost. This was followed by flaxmilling, with 958 days lost, and meat freezing with 541. In 1942, meat freezing headed the list, with coal mining a close second and shipping and cargo working third. The first three places in 1941 were occupied by coal mining, meat freezing and land transport.