A COALMINING AGREEMENT.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13411, 8 May 1912, Page 5

A COALMINING AGREEMENT.

Dunedin, May 7. An important agreement has been aj rived at between the Westport Coal Company and the men employed in their mines. This is the r«sult of much negotiations as far back as November. The unions on the West Coast forwarded to the Company a set of demands , differing materially from the conditions then ■existing; but" as the hojidays were close at hand the; Company requested that the matter should be held over until after the New Year. This was agreed to, and a conference was held in February between representatives of the unions and the Company, and the questions in dispute have been under discussion ever since. The demands of tho unions marked such a. radical alteration in the* working conditions that considerable difficulty was experienced in framing an agreement acceptable to both sides ; but after a number of conferences; conducted with the- best of feeling, an understanding was arrived at, and an agreement, with, the currency of 12 months, was drawn up and signed by both parties, and so ended a difficulty that gave a deal of concern to all interested. The men, it is understood^ besiefit considerably by the new agreement. It may bo mentioned incidentally that so great is tho demand for coal just now that the Company find it impossible to get a sufficient number of competent miners to meet their requirements.