WORK AND WAGES.

Southland Times, Issue 19249, 13 June 1921, Page 6

WORK AND WAGES.

CHRISTIANIA GENERAL STRIKE. DECLARED OFF. (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) CHRISTIANIA, June 9. The general strike has been declared off and the workers are resuming. * Mediation in the case of seamen, engineers, and transporters is progressing. The newspapers welcome the defeat of the general strike, which is the first since the workers’ political organisations became Communistic. AFFAIRS IN NEW ZEALAND. WELLINGTON TRAMWAY DISPUTE. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 10. The Wellington Tramway’s Union has filed an application with the Registrar of Industrial Unions to have the local tramways dispute heard under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act. The union has taken this course owing to several conferences with the tramways management proving abortive. The dispute will now be heard by a committee convened by the Minister of Labour. PETONE GAS STOKERS. A CRISIS REACHED. WELLINGTON, June 11. A crisis has been reached in regard to the gas stokers at the Petone municipal gasworks. Up till the end of last March the men had been working under a private agreement with the Council. Since the agreement expired the union has asked for a fresh agreement embodying new rates of wages and conditions. The Council’s reply was a refusal to enter into a new private agreement, stating that it was prepared to pay the same weekly wage as was being paid under the old agreement, £5 12s plus 3s bonus, but somewhat altering the conditions, which would have the effect of giving each stoker a day off per week, but would increase the hours worked from 42 to 48.

The stokers have so far refused to accept the termsj and the Council has therefore given them seven days’ notice, and is advertising for fresh labour. WELLINGTON TRAMWAYS DISPUTE. WELLINGTON, June 11. The Conciliation Commissioner, Mr Newton, has been instructed to call a conference to see if a settlement is possible in connection with the local tramwaymen’s dispute. The conference will be held on Monday. Should it prove abortive a Disputes Committee will be set up. GAS EMPLOYEES’ DEMANDS. AUCKLAND, June 10. The Gas Employees Union are filing on the Auckland, Birkenhead and Northcote Gas Companies the following new demands in connection with their agreement: £4 15s for weekly workers, hourly workers 2s 3d per hour, and shift workers £1 per shift. The last agreement expired on June 3.