STRIKE ENDED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26791, 7 June 1948, Page 4

STRIKE ENDED

COMMITTEE’S DECISION

PUBLIC TRUSTEE TO HOLD MONEY

For the first time for five days Dunedin’s citizens travelled about their lawful occasions by bus, cable car and tram on Saturday afternoon. The vital point at issue between the City Council and the Dunedin branch of the Tramways’ Union was the custody of the money claimed by them pending the national tribunal sitting in Wellington on Wednesday. The chairman of the Emergency Disputes Committee which sat on Saturday morning, Mr W. H. Cadwallader, superintendent of the Department of Labour and Employment in Dunedin, ruled that the money be paid to him for transfer to the Public Trustee. He also ordered the immediate resumption of the transport services.

The sitting on Saturday morning was conducted by Mr Cadwallader as independent chairman appointed by the Minister of Labour, Mr McLagan. Cr E. J Anderson, chairman of the Transport Committee, represented the City Council and Mr P. A. Hansen,' national secretary of the Tramways Union, represented the striking tramwaymen. The Disputes Committee was unable to agree and Mr Cadwallader therefore had the responsibility of making the decision. The decision as issued by the chairman stated: —

“Whereas a dispute has arisen between the New Zealand Tramway Authorities Employees’ Industrial Union of Workers (Dunedin branch), hereinafter called the workers of the one part of the Dunedin City Council (transport department), an authority, hereinafter called the employer, employing members of the said union of the other part, relating:—

“1. To. the temporary custody of the moneys at stake in the dispute between the workers and the employer as to the rates of wages payable to relieving drivers and operators until such time as the dispute is decided by the National Disputes Committee, which is to commence its sitting in Wellington on Wednesday, June 9, 1948, and

“ Now, therefore, I, William Herbert Cadwallader, as chairman of the said committee, and in pursuance of the authority vested in me by section 8 of the said regulations, do hereby decide, so that my decision shall be the decision of the committee: — “ 1. That the amount of moneys at stake, being the sum represented by the difference between the amount of the wages which hgve been paid to each individual worker and the amount of the wages which would have, been paid to each individual worker had the employment been continued after May 10, 1948, as if clause 25. (2) and not clause 20 of the said decision applied thereto, shall be paid forthwith and from time to time as such moneys become, in terms of the employers’ usual practice of paying wages, due and payable by the Duneain City Council to the chairman of the committee, who shall forthwith pay such moneys to the District Public Trustee at Dunedin upon the terms that upon the decision of the said National Disputes Committee being known, he, the said District Public Trustee, shall pay the said moneys to the Department of Labour and Employment at Dunedin to be disbursed by it according to the rights and liabilities of the parties as determined by the said National Disputes Committee; provided that in so far as it relates to the payment of wages this decision has no application to the period between 2 o’clock in the afternoon on May 31, 1948, and the time when the workers resumed the normal work of the employer. “ 2 That normal work is to be resumed in the terms and upon the conditions prescribed by the said decision as if clause 25 (2) and not clause 20 thereof applied to the 'workers and until the decision of the National Disputes Committee is known; and that no disciplinary action, whether by dismissal, suspension, or in any other manner whatsoever, shall be taken by the said employer against any or all of the said workers who have been concerned in the said dispute, either in respect of participation therein or by any reason incidental thereto or arising in the course thereof.' -

“2. To the conditions under which normal work is to be resumed: “And whereas, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by the Strike and Lockout Emergency Regulations, 1939, the Hon. Angus McLagan, Minister of Labour, has appointed the following persons to be an Emergency Disputes Committee for the purpose of deciding such dispute: Percival Andrew Hansen, as representative of the workers; Eric James Anderson, as representative of the employers; and William Herbert Cadwallader. as chairman of the committee. And whereas the committee has met and considered this dispute; and whereas members of the, coremittee so appointed representing the employers and the workers have been unable to agree: