COAL MINERS’ DEMANDS

Otago Witness, Issue 3494, 22 February 1921, Page 23

COAL MINERS’ DEMANDS

SU B.3TAN TIA L I NCR EASES CLAIMED. ABOLITION OF CONTRACT SYSTEM. WELLINGTON, February 13. The current agreement between the Mine Owners’ Association and Minors’ Federation will expire oil February 23, after being in operation for 12 months. In conjunction with the Australian Miners’ Federation, with which the Now Zealand Federation is affiliated, new demands have been prepared. The c-liiof features of the new proposals are as follow: —A six-hour day (ba i k to bank), five days per week, tiie abolition of the contract system, a fortnight’s holiday on full pay at the end of each year, a minimum weekly wage of £6, full wages as compensation for lost time owing to occupational disease or accidents- employers to provide tools and light, explosives, the free instalment of modern safety appliances, proper sanitary arrangements, the abolition of the afternoon shift; an effective voice in the executive control of the industry; overtime, double rates to be paid all weekdays , overtime, treble rates for all Sunday and holiday work. The demands provide that the minimum wage for off-hand labour (18 years and over) shall be £1 per shift; for miners hewing coal on contract the minimum rate of £1 5s per shift is asked; and for miners working in stone the minimum lequested is £1 7s 6a per shift. Other provisions of the claims are as follow: Machine men (coal;, £1 5s per shift; wheelers, £1 2s 6d per shift; machine coal contract rates (shooter and filler), a 33 1-3 per cent, increase; machine rutters, 25 per cent, increase; boys and youths’ days rates, 33 1-3 per cent, increase. All other classes of labour per cent, increase. Where extra payment is now being made special consideration of the margin now paid shall lie maintained in the district. The Miners’ Federation asks that so far as possible any award or agreement based upon the foregoing claims shall be retrospective, and shall operate as from February 28, 1921. Before the current agreement was made the federation asked for the abolition of the contract system, but the owners would not agree in that connection, therefore tho demand has been renewed. The claim for a six-hour day, bank to bank, is not a new claim, but it is one which the owners definitely refused to concede 12 months ago. The demands have not yet been considered by the Mine-owners’ Association.