TRAMWAY EMPLOYEES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26473, 29 May 1947, Page 8

TRAMWAY EMPLOYEES

CONFERENCE ON CLAIMS NO SETTLEMENT REACHED Industrial Correspondent WELLINGTON, May 28. The conference of national tramway authorities and the New Zealand Tram way Employees’ Union, called to consider the claims of the union for a national agreement, ended to-day without a settlement. The union’s claims were under discussion for three full days, at the end of which it was agreed that the counter-proposals from the employers would be carried back by the workers’ delegates to the annual meeting of the National Council of the union, to be held in Wellington on Saturday. It appears uncertain whether the progress made will prove sufficient to achieve an early settlement. The whole membership of the union, in a national ballot six months ago, decided that if a satisfactory national agreement could not be obtained union officials would have power to deregister under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act and register instead under the Trade Union Act. Disputes would then be governed by the Labour Disputes Investigation Act, which gives workers a legal right to strike.' The proposals to go before the union council will involve bringing tramwaymen in all centres on to a common basis for the purposes of wages, and conditions. This would mean higher wages for some centres, but not for those ipost favoured under the existing national council of the union to determine whether the employers’ proposals are acceptable. It will then presumably either negotiate further or act in accordance with the ballot decision on deregistration. An official statement issued to-night by Mr P A. Hansen, secretary of the union, said that the union’s proposals had been carefully discussed, together with counter-proposals from employers. The result of the conference would be placed before the national council of the union. The parties at the conference were Messrs W. H. Stevens (Wellington), W. B Richards (Dunedin). E. A. Whitlow (Auckland), N. R. Forbes (Christchurch), W. Brook (Wanganui), G. N. Amos (Wellington), union representatives P. A. Hansen (Wellington), advocate, E. Foster (Auckland), W. H. Huggett (New Plymouth). L. F. Rowe (Wanganui), J. F. Fardell (Christchurch), J. McCrae (Dunedin), W. H. Boyes (Invercargill), employers’ representatives, and L. B. Hutton, advocate.