CAMPANILE WORKERS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 89, 24 March 1931, Page 5

CAMPANILE WORKERS

ONLY PARTIAL RESUMPTION PICKETS EARLY ON THE JOB WELLINGTON, March 23. Work was resumed to-day on the Campanile foundations by 10 men out of a shift of 36 four-day men (with three dependents or more) who were scheduled by the Labour Department to work on this job from to-day until Thursday. Twenty of the men failed to turn out, doubtless fearing the jibes and comments of the pickets who were early on the job. .Half a dozen policemen, however, prevented any more active interference with the workers. Two more men turned out to work at 1 p.m., making the strength of the working party 19. The Workers' Case "The strike is not bravado or the, act of indolent men," said Mr P. M. Butler, secretary of the General Labourers' Union. The Mayor, Mr G. A. Troup, had said that the exeavations of the campanile, which were included in the contract, were a very small part of the work to be done at Mount Cook. That remark supported the union's contentions and made it clear that the work was a standard job to which the award applied. -

Conflicting StatementsMr H. ]>. Bennett, said Mr Butler, had said that the earthwork had never formed part of tho contract, and this statement did not agree with that of the Mayor. Information was wanted regarding the position of all tenderers, since Mr Bennett had said that the architects had been instructed by the board of tho National Art Gallery to arrange with the contractor as to the amount he would allow off the figure quoted in the contract if the labour was provided by the Unemployment Board.

"We regret, as does Mr Bennett, that the work has been made the subject of a 'labour dispute'," added Mr Butler. "We also regret that it should be the subject of an attempt to pay a wage of £2 16s per woek to married men with three or more dependents, and 28s to singlo men. It has to be borne in mind that should any of these men sustain an injury, however serious, in the course of the job, the insurance company will only pay twothirds of this amount in compensation. "The difficulties in the way can be imagined when it is considered that the City Council employs the men, the Unemployment Board pays them, and they work for the trustees of the National Art Gallery. We appealed to the Minister of Labour, the Unemployment Board, and the local unemployment committee, with very little result, and the trustees of the art' gallery were made aware of our representations. The dispute can be settled in ten minutes, if the various authorities can agree among themselves who is to share the responsibility for the dispute."

Mr Butler also states that no one is authorised to solicit donations of any kind for those men, and the public is warned not to contribute to strangers.