STOP-WORK DECISION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 142, 19 June 1939, Page 8

STOP-WORK DECISION

CALL TO ALL BUILDING EMPLOYEES WELLINGTON CARPENTERS ATTENDED BY OVER 600 ( Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 17. Over 600 carpenters and builders' labourers attended a meeting ac 10 o’clock this morning to consider the position arising from the stoppage of work on the State houses at Karori on Wednesday. Delegates reported on a deputation to the Minister of Labour, then a resolution was moved that a general stop-work meeting of all building workers be called for Wednesday morning to review the position in conjunction with the Federation of Labour. In the meantime officials of carpenters and labourers’ unions were to communicate with employers to discuss points at issue. Amendments were put forward, but were defeated and the resolution was carried. When the meeting concluded at 1.15 p.m. the secretary of the Carpenters’ Union, Mr. Moulton, who had presided, said that whatever the meeting on Wednesday decided would depend on what happened before then. The position on the Karori jobs was unchanged. Mr. W. McLennan (Auckland) attended the meeting and will report to a mass meeting of building workers at Auckland to-morrow morning. PROTEST OF BUILDING TRADE MEETING AT AUCKLAND CALLED FOR. WEDNESDAY [ Per Press Association J ' AUCKLAND, June 18. Carpenters and joiners in Auckland will hold a stop-work meeting in the Town Hall, if it is available, on Wednesday morning, to protest against the general conditions of awards recently issued by the Arbitration Court. This decision was the result of a resolution carried unanimously at a special meeting of the Auckland union to-day when Mr. J. B. McCormack presided over an attendance of about 300 members.

Issuing a statement to-night, Mr. J. G. Kennerley, secretary of the union, said it was not anticipated that a strike would develop from the stopwork meeting. He said that the meeting would probably last some time, but the men would probably return to work in the afternoon. There is no wish to embarrass the Government in any way, the official report stated, but there is a unanimous feeling that a strong protest must be made and the only way this can be brought to the attention of the authorities and the public is to hold a stopwork meeting. All tradesmen engaged in the building trade are concerned as the carpenters’ award is usually quoted as the criterion and therefore they have all been invited to attend the protest meeting.