THE STRIKE

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XVII, Issue 5878, 3 April 1920, Page 2

THE STRIKE

OFFER BY THE MINEOWNERS PROPOSALS BEFORE UNION BALLOT PROCEEDING TO-DAY FULL TEXT OF TERMS As a result of the conference between the mine-owners and representatives of the Miners' Union, with Mr I*. Hallj

as chairman, a fresh offer has been made

to the union by the owners in the hope of bringing about a settlemet.it of the strike. The full text of the offer, which is given beloAV, shows that the mineowners arc prepared to fix a minimum wage of 15s for ala eight-hour day T'hi s would, in consequence, of four hours only beilag worked on Saturday, represent £4 2s 6d per week, as compared with £3 13s 6d, which constituted t'io limit offered by the mine-owners at the previous conference, when they intimated a willingness to pay 12s 3d per day Str a six-day week. Thus the advance an the minimum originally offered would represent an increase of 9s per week.

THE OWNEHS' CONDITIONS.

WAGE AND OVERTIME HOURS OF WORK. 1. Except as hereinafter expressly provided the week's work shall consist of the /number of hours following, that is to say—(a) For men on shi't in batteries aaid tailings plants eight hours (('inclusive of crib-time) shall constitute a day's work, except on Saturdays, wh?n four hours shall be worked; 44 hours shall constitute the week's work. Work shall commence at midnight on Sunday and tea so at noon on Saturday. (b) For surface labourers 44 hours (exclusive \>f crib time). Work shall commence ait 8 a.m. on Monday and cen.se at noon on Saturday. (e) If any worker loses time during the week, due to Ltrfing put off by the company or, if, bcihg absent for any other reasons, litis place is temporarily tilled at ordinary ra-'.es of wages, then the time lost above re erred to shall not debar the said worker from receiving the ovi.iitiiiK' rate as provxk'd herein, just as if he had already worked 44 hours hours during the week. Full overtime trates shall apply to all casual workers. (fl) Six lAiurs shall constitute a day's work in hot, wet, or gassy places, and .shall be paid for as it the workers had worked eight hours.

WAGRS. 2. The following shall be the minimum rates of wages per day or per shiiio of eight hours which shall he pa ill by the employers respectively to the persons employed by them in the capacities mentioned, that is to say—s. d. Miners working in drives or slopes 15 3 Miners working in drives or,. stopes wCth maeiijncu 15 i) MiMers working in rises or winzes 13 0 Miners writing-in rises or winzes with machines .........:'... : 1(5 3 Sha'tmeu with machine or hand su*l ~..„.,„„ = ..,,,.- 17 0 Chair.bernicti (with 8d per shift extra for oilskin money in wet shafts) 13 3

Braeemcn 13 0 - Mullockers and truckers underl ground 13 3 i MiiHockrrN and truckers on suri face 13 0 ' Pumpmen and pitmen in shafts 10 3 ■ Tool-sharpejnei'S : .. : •: \p 3 ■ Timbermen (surface or under- ; ground) 13 9 1 Stamper hands 15 6 Stamper hands' assistants 15 3 Amalgmators : 15 ( J Stone-breaker men feeding crusher ........................ : 15 6 Stone-breaker labourers ............ J 5 0 Truckers in batteries .••■••• 13 0 Battery repairers .. ~ 15 3 Battery repairers' assistants ••• 15 3 C-Vaaiido-mon. forking in wet . batteries , ..... ; .... lo 3 Pressmen or pressmen Working cranes <■•<<• Pressmen's labourers 13 0 Men attendiUg sands or settlers 15 3 (Ameeiitraitos treatment plant (man in charge) 16 3 Concentrates treatment plant (assistants) 13 3

Vannermen *'3 '' Vnnnermen's assistants I§ 3 ® Tube mill (iiiiiii in charge) •■■ 3 Tube mill (assistants) 1-3 0 Meii slacking lime iy v Surf aw and general labourers ... 1o (J Blacksmiths' strikers 1-3 j* : Greasers _ (Suiters lo 3 It is (<> lie clearly understood that in the above wagrs there is already in- ! eluded a sum of twopence per hour m antic-patioli of an award, decision m I . ol .nmnicndnt. ; on «f ArmtrnUwi Court expected to be made during, tin-

next three or four months in resist to'the increased'cost of Jiving, and that no further addition is to be made ior tint reason to ilie rate.-; o r w.u,es herein Weed to 1 . This ivoulcjl nut apply to any second recommendation by J.be Arbi. tration Court during the currewy ot this agreement made in respect, to amy further increase in the tost of living. 3. Not let* 'than los per clay or per shift of eifht hours shall be paid to au.y rlass ()l I" 5 -'''" 1 " employed by the employ. crV't'iJs applies to only. N^Uing

contained in this award shall apply to

workers attending electric motor-driven sinldng-pumps and switchboard attendants. WAGES OF YOUTHS. 4. (a) For youths under 17 years of age, 7s 6d per day o: eight hours; for youths from 17 to 18 years, 8s 6d per day \of eight hours; for youths from 18 to 19 years, 9s Od per day of eight hours; for youths from 19 to 20 yean?, 10s 6d per day of eight hours. Youths over 20 years of nge the minimum wages as hereinbefore provided for workmen. (b) No youth under the age of sixteen shall be employed ii a battery or in or about a tailings plant unless arrangements have b«?n made between the union and the employers. DIRT MONEY. 5. OVie shilling .ind sixpence per shift extra shall be paid for repair w'ork at or through boiler flues, inside bo'-lcrf and eeonomiscn (b.) A "shift" shall mean any portion o'i the twenty-four hours a worker may be employed at that work.

CONTRACTS. 6. (a) A clause shall be inserted in every contract bind'ug every contractor to pay to the wages men employed on any such contract not loss than the minimum rate of wages prescribed by this agreement. AH contractors and colatractors' employees shall work the full number of hours constituting a week's work under this agreement.

(b) In all cases, except where a difference) of opiniou arises between the contractor and omployer as to the value of any particular work required to be done by contract or piece work, written •specifications and conditions fdiail be signed by the mine manager and the contractor, contractors, or pieceworkers, (c) Regarding the three four-hour shifts on Saturdays at the batteries: In consideration of the working .week Icing reduced from 48 to 41. hours, the companies stipulate that in cases where the relief does not turia up for duty at the proper time, the man on duty shall continue on shift for an additional four hours, without the companies having to pay overtime lor such additional four hours. SHIFT-BOSSES AND FOREMEN. The provisions of this agreement shall not apply to shift-bosses and foremen. OVERTIME AND HOLIDAYS.

8. Overtime shall be paid for at the rate of t;me and a-hnli for the first three hours and thereafter double time, All work doxie on Sundays, New Year's Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, the Sovereign's Birthday, .Labour Day, and Christmas Day shall be paid for at the rato of double time. PAYMENT OF WAGES. 9. (a) All wages sha'l be paid fortnightly. 11l the case of contracts the employers will pay the contractors' men fortnightly upon the contractors handing in a fist showing the amount due to their mwi. When such wages have been paid the contractors shall receive monthly the balaince o; 7o per cent, of the amount due ','or all work done.

(h) Should the employers require men the contractors must supply them for necessary work, which unless dotic. would involve the stoy»pajrp °i' thph- individual contract. Such men shall receive the Kcliodulod raite of wages,

(c) In respect to stoping contracts the percentage to be retained, shall 'not exceed 10 per cent, and. when the completion of the cViltitruct docs not coincide exactly with the ordinary pay day the employers. wi|l make an eilui-f to make special settlements ho as to reduce the time for which moneys are held back. (d) The companies shall pay wagesmen on Fridays, five working days after the dates to which the pay-rolls are made up. and contractors shall be paid on Mondays, two clays a.ter the wages are naicj, CONTRACT FORFEITURF,. 10. In any case where n company admits and agrees that a contract party should have a concession it shall be given (by way of consideration for unforscein circumstances) without forfeiting the deposit and percentage money already held by the. company.

FUNERALS. 11. In the ease of :v.\y funeral ilw union shall not call out the men for twon.ty.'our hours, but any men who give the management not Jess than eight hours' luot'ice that they wish to attend the funeral shall be free to leave their work.

GENERAL. 12. Casual workers on wa terraces taken from their ordinary work for repairs tr breakdowns shall go to and from the work in the employers' time, 13. The companies shall supply the union with a list of all wages-men, contractors and contractors' wagss-men, at least once every half-year if necessary.

14. A copy of this agreement may be posted in every department in or about the mines or 'in conspicuous places by the u'aion. DISPUTES. | to. (a) Should any matter arising out. of this agreement be in dispute during tho term of this agreement and not therein provided for such matter shall be referred to the nuwiager and the president of the u/.iiou or their representatives | with a view to coming to terms; or in j cum? they cami'ot come to an agreement within seven days the matter shall be referred to the Magistrate o ; ti!w> district, whose decision shall be final.

())) It is agreed that a comniiKci? be set up conaistil.ig of two representatives of the union and two representatives of the company concerned, to endeavour to adjust deputes in e\)U.nection with underrate contracts.

PREFERENCE. 10. (a) It any employer is employing or employs any worker coming within the scope of this agreement who shall not bo a member of the union and who shall not Income a member thereof within. H !' rt >' 6 &*f I,is (Vi 'B n {? e VC«t ffttd

remain such member, the employer shall dismiss such worker from Iris service if requiested 'to do so by the u'nion, provided there is thefn a member of the union equally qualified to perform the particular work required to be done, aud roady and wilting to undertake the same.

(b) The provisions o: the foregoing clause- shall operate only if and so long as the rules of the iraion shall permit any worker coming within the scop.* o. this agreement of good character and sober habits to become a member of the" upi'on upom payment of an eintni.ico fee not exceeding five shillings upri.i a written application, without ballot or other election, and to continue a member upon payment of subsequ-.-nt ccn-tribnt-ons not exco:ding 6d per week.

CONTRACT PRICKS. During the currency of this agreement an ii.icrea.se of 1\ per cent will be added to the net. earnings of contractors. THE ENGINEERS' DISPUTE. MKN'S DEMANDS CONCEDED.

As the result 'of a conference on Thursday afternoon between the mine-owners representatives ai.id tho delegates of the Ohinemuri branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers a settlement of the dispute between these particular parses was arrived at, subject to the approval of a general meeting of tho ong'Uecrs Which will be convened by-the delegrf.es. 'J'.ie undertaking provides that the mining companies shall pay the same rate of wages and übwrve the same conditions as will be fixed by the Arbitration Cburt at Auckland in doling with the engineers' dispute. The m;.i> c.Miers/ offer is that time n.ad a-half shall be paid to members of 'the union for the first three hours' overtime worked, and that thereafter double-time* shall be paid. The mine-owners also agree t) pay double ra.tcs for holidays and Sundays, ajud to consent to a 44 hour week. They further offer the payment of twopeUee per hour as a special bonus iu anticipation of the Arbitration Court making advances to workers in consequence of the increase in the cost of l;v----ij.ig which \.s ioreshadc/ved by the Court as°liab!e to take place within, the next two mouths. The mine owners are prepared to grant this additional bonus as from the time tiluvt work is resumed in the mines. As in ord>mry ciroumsta'nees practically tho whole o<: the engineering wVirk is carried on by the day shut alono, and that night shift is not contemplated, it was agreed in the evem of nighit-shitt work b?ing found necessary in casual eases that the rate of pay shall be 'is per hour.

At the close of the con'erence Mr S. J. ElstoM (organiser) an hey.ili of the engineers, made reference to the careful and unbiased manner in which Mr Hally had conducted the proceedings, which apart fi'om the attitude adopted by the eha.irman, might not 'have led to the soluUm o,' the position as far as the engineers were concerned.

It. is, howov-e.r, understood that any agreement arrived at between the mineowners and the engineers will not result in a settlement of the Waihi dispute unless an agreement eain he reached between the mine-owners and the' miners, owlno; U> the fact that neither ol the unions concerned is prepared to resume -work in the absence of a settlement acceptable to both parties.

PRIME MINISTER'S INTEIiVE.\TION, MAYOR S CONGRATULATIONS. TRIBUTE TO MR, HA LEY. The Mayor, Mr I). Donaldson, lias wired the Prime Minister as follows: "The mine owners offer of a substantial increase in wages and 'contracts is the subject 1.0 a ballot today, and I lx?)jve will be accepted by a large majority. Wa.ihi is impressed by vonr earnest personal efforts to find a settlement. I deshe on behalf of town to gratefully thank you for your speedy and influential intervention, without which I believe irretrievable ruin would have fallen upon "Wa.ihi. Commissioner Hally's splendid handling of the whole position is highly appreciated by all concerned."