Miners Blame Department For Strike

Chronicle (Levin), 25 June 1949, Page 2

Miners Blame Department For Strike

WESTPORT, June 24'. v Replying. tpt-rfcli^ 'Ministpr of today with referenee to this week'7s strike of flepcitieasdn * the. Buller area, the secretary of the Underviewers' ano Deputies' t) nidn '(Mr. ' A. "Prosser) saia his;.*hioa>htt4|.]c|jon| e^erythwg possibie to liave ihe ""'dispdte di'sdussed, hdd was of opinioa "fehat. had the heada of the Hines; Departm,en1t„,iri.ade it possibie tor thts .Itf^e' dpm ilhtte pfdih'ary way a s^ttlempnt cp.uld „have ..fibeea ^reachea loiig- Ikif tMrC" v# a«y talk;;-bf a. ktrikeT - Hr. tlLat.' at: n0 sU'm;e "dui'ih,4Jhf's|oppage oVer a 'doctor for ilie'^ga^a^ati-Stbck.tptii area.were the'debutie^M^tj-i^g. They agreed to snpport . tlle. ' S"' Union ia its endea vout to d'octor, bnt also agreea that at ;all> times they would be avanable for '-tfime examinations" and work pertaining to safety. . The fact that .the deputies were on'call was proved on May 30 wherr washoute were discovered in, tho kGlleptan. mine., The manager was . inf o.rhpttfd| |n4" j°u Tuesday all the offieial stattof* the "mine turned out and did the repairs. necessary to enable ,the mine'"t6' folldwing day. That was ndt'thV'aetioa of men on - . - - - lx * strike. - * • *** • •

Quoting tke • iKinister the •'a n io ti nia'3e - t td,'ha.ye tl|eir claim diseussed in"the . ordinary wa;y{ before presenti-iig their ultinlatiihi ' pay, or else,' " Mf.. '.Prosser sai'd 'when' it; became known that?" the'' .Urider-Secre; tar'y/for- Miridtf -Benaey) , had i instvucted the distriet manager (Mr.; A, Openshaw) tEalSthe' men Who had laot reported : dtb«i&gr^the' eaxlier. ' dispute were to have the amo.unt of the days :'lost 'dettueted frmn, their weekly wage, :.an ' eSffcutjLvd'. m^feiihg of the la-nibn. wak called on June 6. Mr. Openshaw attended byidji^jtatioh and said he could not. do anythiiig' cns it was an instruetion, from DdPki'^ieat- Tlie meeting request'ed Hr. Openshaw to contact Mr. Benn.ey Oji- June 7 and inform him that the tlnion ponsidered his instruction was unwarranted and in eontravention of a longstanding custom that

when the men lost any time tlie weeKly wage should hot be interfered with but that the' managers retained the right to expq.ct^any men hdving lost time to w'O^^lf^bhek if j-equjre.d. ; ■- MR^pteh^haw'" tried^b- 'get' in' tojueh with Mr. Bdrtifey' on June 7, but Wellington said he could not be foiind. Pof a wliole week the union was "given • ■thqr.s^e;y.ja!^s?yer— dhkb Mr. ., Reiiney . ,!Quld nqfjiba^fonpd. *; Oy thp, following Sa|nrda^W:"agdh.Qral; ,/pieeting.* ; of {the union decided to inform Mr. Benney and WI^TIEinist'er' th'af" unlessv'th'e m'aV ter was attended to and the euts restored the men would cease work. This was done. Mr. Benney, who, hjid pow been found, was informed by telegram and the Ministy b^ |iSr ipkil. ?'.• ■"