TRAMWAY THREAT OF DIRECT ACTION OVER SACKED EMPLOYEE

Wanganui Chronicle, 28 January 1948, Page 5

TRAMWAY THREAT OF DIRECT ACTION OVER SACKED EMPLOYEE

(P.A.) Dunedin, Jai. 27. For approximately two hours and a-half this afternoon no trams, buses or cable cars ran in the city while members of the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Tramways Union held a stop-work meeting io discuss the recent dismissal of a bus driver employed by the City Corporation Transport Department. It was alleged by members that the driver had been harshly treated by the engineer-manager (Mr. L. C. Greig) and the initial feeling of the meeting was to take direct action and refuse to operate the city transport services unless the man concerned was immediately reinstated as an employee of the department. After two hours of heated debating, the meeting decided to place the matter in the hands of the Labour Department and that unless a satisfactory settlement of the dispute was reached within 48 hours, a further stop-work meeting would be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday. A motion not to operate the transport system' after midnight tonight, and one to operate the normal service but not to collect fares, were discussed at length, but were defeated. A resolution was also carried stating that the Dunedin tramwaymen had no confidence in the transport engineer manager and requesting the City Council to dispense with his services.