PARTIES FAIL TO AGREE

Southland Times, Issue 23839, 9 June 1939, Page 5

PARTIES FAIL TO AGREE

GOLD MINE WORKERS’ DISPUTE (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 8. After long discussions in an endeavour to reach a common basis of collective bargaining in the widely differing northern and southern claims in the Gold Mines Federation employees’ dispute, no agreement was effected and the parties decided to adjourn to a date to be fixed later. An indication had beea given by the Court of Arbitration that it preferred the parties to reach a Dominion award rather than separate awards for the north and south, and discussions between the parties centred on the possibilities of achieving- this. The major difficulty, however, was the fact that the privileges enjoyed by each district under the district awards differed to a great degree. At today’s session, Mr T. O. Bishop, employers’ agent, presented a new schedule, covering both the northern and Westland districts, compiled from their respective claims, and dealing only with the miners’ conditions and wages, not touching on the engineers’ or carpenters’ sections. Mr J. Roberts, for the workers: The schedule was not what we had expected in certain directions, and there were things in it which we could not accept. After further discussion, the parties agreed to adjourn to a date to be fixed later.