COAL MINERS’ GRIEVANCES.
THE BLACKBALL DISPUTE UNSETTLED. GENERAL GOhSLGW POLICY IN OPERATION. K AIT A N G A T A MINKS IDLE. WELLINGTON, January 17. In connection with the Blackball trouble the Prime Minister, as Minister of Mines, presided to-day at a conference of mineowners and representatives of the Miners Federation. He afterwards said that the conference had arrived at no decision, but he had made suggestions to the delegates with a view to effecting a settlement. The suggestions had to be submitted by the representatives of both sides to their principals, so it would not be known for some days whether they had been accepted. At the present stage it would not be wise to indicate the nature of the suggestions. January 21. A conference regarding the trouble at the Blackball mine took place this afternoon between the Prime Minister and the mine owners’ representative. Approached afterwards by a Mr W. Pryor, secretary of the Mine Owners’ Federation, stated that by agreement with the mine owners the only person from whom information could be obtained was the Prime Minister (Mr Massey). For his part, he said he could make no statement at the present stage. A meeting of the Executive of the Goal Mine Owners’ Association was held in Wellington to consider the action taken by the miners in connection with the Blackball dispute, and particularly the Prime Minister’s suggestion that the dispute should be referred to a committee of two representatives of both sides, with an in dependent chairman. In the meantime the “go-slow” policy is being applied in most of the mines in New Zealand. “ GO-SLOW ” PRINCIPLE ADOPTED. WELLINGTON, January 18. Further developments were reported yesterday in connection with the trouble at the mines. Several mines in New Zealand are being worked on the go-slow principle. The dispute has now developed from a purely local one into a national matter, n lien approached yesterday, Mr J. Arbuckle, secretary of the Coal Miners’ Federation, stated that the federation was adhering to the attitude declared at the end of last week, and it demanded that Henderson should he reinstated. Mr Massey had suggested that a special tribunal . should be set up to consider the case, but it remained to be seen whether the Federation Executive would approve of that proposal. _ Asked whether, as secretary of the federation, he had had any intimation as to how work was proceeding at the mines throughout the dominion. Mr Arbuckle replied in the negative. The executive of the Coal Mine Owners’ Association will probably meet in Wellington shortly to discuss the matter. January 22. Regarding the coalmining dispute, it is understood that the present position is that the miners and mine-owners are both disposed to accept the Prime Minister’ssuggestion that the matter in dispute should be referred to a committee of the •parties w'ith an independent chairman. Each side, however, makes conditions, and one of these concerns the selection of a chairman. Further negotiations will be necessary before the proposed method of settlement is agreed upon. STOP-WORK MEETINGS AT KAITANGATA. There was little interest in the stop-work meeting of the Kaitangata miners called for the 17th instant on instructions from conyesterday morning on instructions from conference. It was expected that the meeting would end quickly and quietly and without any action being taken in regard to the Blackball dispute. But a matter for local “discipline” arose. There was a diversity of opinion amongst the miners as to the necessity for holding the meeting, and a few of them ignored it and went down the mine as usual. In consequence the meeting adjourned until next morning, so that every unionist will (or must) attend. Another stop-work meeting was held at Kaitangata mine at 7 a.m. on the 18th inst. The result was practically the same as at the meeting held the previous morning. The meeting finished at 7.30, when the management refused to allow the men to take their lamps, and the mine was consequently idle again. There was no change in the position at Kaitangata on the 19th, and the stop-work meeting was again adjourned this morning on account of some members not attending, having gone to work instead. The company, however, took, on the 19th, a hand in the matter, and posted a notice that the mines would bo open for work next da-? at the usual time, and that any men absenting themselves for any reason but sickness would be deemed to have left the company’s employ. KAITANGATA, January 20. The attitude of the Kaitangata Miners’ Union remains unaltered, and the miners are. again, idle to-day. In accordance with the management’s notice of yesterday, the position now is that the men have ceased to be employees of the Kaitangata Company, and before work can bo resumed individual application for en.ployment will be necessary. It was stated at yesterday’s meeting that advice had been received from the Miners' Federation that the Kaitangata miners had adopted the correct attitude, and that the federation would stand by them. NO LOCK-OUT. OVER TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY MEN IDLE. Mr Robert Lee, general manager of the Kaitangata Coal Company, returned to Dunedin on the 20th from a visit to the mines. In answer to a question by one of our reporters. Mr Lee seated that the cause of the trouble, so far as the company was concerned, was simply that the men held a stop-work meeting on Monday morning at 7 o'clock—-he understood to consider what support _ it should give to the Blackball miners in connection with their dispute—and that 7 a.m. was the time when they should have started work. Some of the workers did not attend the meeting, but went to work in the mine. Clause 21 of the iocal agreement states: “Having regard to the working hours for tlio time being existing, no miner or any
employee shall absent himself from work during his proper working hours, while the ; mine is at work, without the sanction of i the mine manager, a sub-manager, or a I deputy, except through sickness or accident.” j On the Monday morning a deputation j from the stop-work meeting waited on the ; management and asked that the men who j had gone to work should be sent to the j meeting. The management declined to do j anything of the kind, and pointed out to j the men that they were committing a breach of the agreement in holding a stop-work meeting during working hours. The men then asked that they should be allowed to go to work at the conclusion of the stopwork meeting—Mr Lee said he understood it ended about 8.30 a.m.—but the management declined to agree to this. The union then informed the management that it was going to hold another meeting at 7 o’clock the following morning (Tuesday), and that it would continue to hold them until the members absenting themselves attended. The union also asked the management to use its influence to persuade the absentees to attend the stop-work meeting on the Tuesday morning. It was pointed out to the men that they were virtually on strike, that they had committed a breach of the agreement, and that if the company did anything to meet the men’s request it would be a party to committing a breach of the agreement. At the meeting called for Tuesday morning it was decided to hold another meeting on the following morning. The union held another meeting on Wednesday morning, and then decided to hold meetings on the same day at 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. These meetings took place. On Wednesday, however, the company notified the union (and also posted notices at the mine to the same effect) that the mine would be opened for work as usual on Thursday at the times of the usual shifts —namely, 7 a.m., 3 p.m., and 11 p.m., and that anybody who failed to start at the stipulated times would be considered to have left the company’s sendee. The position now is that the men who have failed to return to work have automatically left the employment of the company. About 30 men attended their work at 7 a.m. on the 20th, but well over 200 men are idle. Mr Lee said be wished to make it quite clear that his company had not locked out the men. The mines had been open for the employees at the usual times ever since Monday morning, and the company had not refused to allow any miner to start provided he turned to at the times set by the company. The company had, however, refused to hand over to the union the manager’s right to say when work should be started. There was no other industry where, for the safety of the mines and lives of the men, it was so imperative that the authority of the mine manager should bo upheld. The mine manager was presumably responsible under the Coal Mines Act for the fives of the workmen and the safety of the mines, and if the right to say when work was to be started was to be handed to the union then his task became an impossible one.
CASTLE HILL MEN SUPPORT UNION. On the 21st the secretary of the Kaitangata Union, Mr W. H. Braidwood, notified the manager that a general meeting of union members had appointed a District Disputes Committee in accordance with the national agreement to deal with the present dispute. The committee invited the management to meet, it at any convenient time. So far the management fias not replied to this suggestion. The only other development yesterday was that a number of the Castle Hill men, who belong to the same union, came out in sympathy with Kaitangata. "Tile position is that of the dozen men who went down the mine on Monday two have ceased work and attended the meetings, and 10 are still going to work, nine on the day shift and one at night. The miners frankly admit they have no cause for complaint just now over their conditions. As a matter of fact, the money is decidedly “good.” The federation wage for shift men working on repairs and maintenance is 18s a day, but the company pays most of them between 18s and £l. The actual coal miners are on contract, and are guaranteed a minimum wage of 19s 2d for their piecework. They can, and do, earn up to a maximum of £2 a day. “GO-SLOW” POLICY. AUCKLAND, January 20. The actual loss in tonnage caused in the Waikato district this week by the “go-slow” policy is difficult to determine. The output has been approximately 30 per cent, of the usual amount. The Taupiri mines have lost something like 300 tons daily. Their normal production is 1000 tons a day, and Pukemiro, which usually produces an average of 480 tons per day, lost 230 tons on Monday, 130 on Tuesday, and 160 yesterday. The heavier loss on Monday is accounted for by the stop-work meeting held by the men. The deliveries to the local agents from the Waipa mines were substantially short on Monday, but for Tuesday and yesterday they were somewhat improved, though they were not up to normal bulk. THE RAILWAY DiSP'JTE. STATEMENT FROM AIR MASSEY. WELLINGTON, January 23. Mr Massey (Minister of Railways), interviewed to-day with reference to the railway hremen’s dispute, informed a pressman tins afternoon that there will be no trouble tonight, the men having agreed to leave the settlement of the points at issue in the lands of their executive and the department. Air M ‘ Carlo y, secretary of the Locomotive Men’s Association, stated that a full meeting of the Wellington branch was held this morning, Mr R. Carroll (president) coming specially from Auckland to attend After two hours’ argument the men decided to leave the matter to the executive to deal with in a constitutional manner, with the understanding that the executive will meet the Genet al Manager tomorrow morning anil make a fuither report to the men. At a. special meeting of the executive this afternoon, held to consider the question, it was understood that the men generally are discontented with their wages, and this, it was said, made the task of the executive this morning much harder than it otherwise would lave been. PROSPECTS MORE HOPEFUL. WELLINGTON. January 22. The Executive Council of the Enginedrivers, Firemen, and Cleaners’ Associa-
tion is taking action with regard to the threat of the Wellington district firemen to cease work. The secretary of the association will meet the firemen to-morrow morning, and endeavour to induce them to remain at work until the dispute is settled, and the executive of the association will meet in the afternoon. Negotiations are proceeding for a settlement, and it is ihought that the nen will accept the advice of the association and withdraw their notices for the present.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Witness, Issue 3489, 25 January 1921, Page 26
Word Count
2,148COAL MINERS’ GRIEVANCES. Otago Witness, Issue 3489, 25 January 1921, Page 26
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