NO PROGRESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26957, 17 December 1948, Page 6

NO PROGRESS

TRAMWAYS DISPUTE ABORTIVE CONFERENCE PA WELLINGTON, Dec. 16. After two full days in Conciliation Council, often in a heated atmosphere, the assessors in the national tramways dispute could agree on nothing else yesterday but to wish the Conciliation Commissioner a merry Christmas. The council broke up after achieving no progress whatever towards a settlement of the dispute. The assessors for the Tramways Union declared that they wanted no more than a continuance of the present conditions of work. The union officials refused to accept the employers’ motion that the matter be referred to the Arbitration Court. The employers’ assessor from Christchurch voted wjth the union on a motion moved by the union secretary. Mr P. A. Hansen, that the major clause in the dispute be retained in its present form, The voting was 7 to 5 in favour of the union’s motion, but the Conciliation Commissioner, Mr S. Ritchie, subsequently ruled that such a resolution could not have effect unless it was unanimous.

After the council broke up, Mr Hansen announced that the national executive of the union had given instructions for the de-registration of the union under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act in accordance with a vote of tramwaymen throughout New Zealand in a recent secret ballot. Mr Hansen said that, after deregistration, it was the union’s intention to register under the Trade Union Act. All disputes would then be conducted under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act, which gave the union the legal right to strike after seven days’ notice.