TUNNELLERS PAID OFF
Two Reasons Advanced For Strike
(N.Z.P.A.) WANGANUI. Jan. 26. The tunnellers who went on strike yesterday while engaged in reconstruction work on the Turakina-Okoia railway deviation were paid off today by the resident engineer at Wanganui for Public Works, Mr G. W. Sampson, acting under instructions from the Minister of Works (the Hon R. Semple >.
“The tunnel work has been closed down indefinitely” said Mr Sampson, “and I do not know when it will be resumed.”
The majority of 80 men involved are single and live in camps at Fordell and Turakina. Their reason for ceasing work, according to Mr Samnson, had not come before him in
writing, and he was not in a position to sav what the men’s demands were, but he understood that they wanted the normal average pay, which amounted to 5 - an hour, applied to pay for the Christmas holidays, for which thev had been paid 4/- an hour. From another source it was stated that the men’s complaint was that metal for the contract was not being kept up to them, with the result that the earnings under the co-operative system had fallen considerably.
Mr Sampson made it clear that only tunnel reconstruction had ceased. Other operations on the deviation were being carried on.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD19450127.2.48
Bibliographic details
Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23111, 27 January 1945, Page 4
Word Count
213TUNNELLERS PAID OFF Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23111, 27 January 1945, Page 4
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Timaru Herald. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in