Minister Recognises Miners' Go-Slow

Chronicle (Levin), 4 July 1949, Page 3

Minister Recognises Miners' Go-Slow

GREYMOUTH, July 2. The dispute at the Strongman" State coalmine, which has resulted i±s Rh unofiicial ' 1 go-slow ' ' for the past fortnight with tlie' .ioss of appTOxima;te]y 20,0'OOM--to4s.iof.b cidal, hai-„ ;nd?sy offie'iahy rCCoghihe'd both by the Mimster of Mines (Mr.. McLagan) and the Ruaauga S'tafe MinerBf TJfiiofi ; . A' An o%r has- been ;madp by.me^ M^n-. iatet to * s'et up; '• ' a. dispuf ea ' coihiiit|ra6 on thfe condition that normal work is. resuilied jmmediately at the mine. The offer will be considered at a mass: meeting of the union tomorrow morning. This will be the first time that the matter has offieially come before the Runanga uhion. To date the Strongman mme employees, which are only one section of the combined union, have acted ' ' on their own." Similarly, the Minister has not made any statement on the ' go-slow,"- although it is learned

unofficially that m the iirst weex ox the trouble he took.action to cancel the contracts and bonus payments. This meant that the miners' average daily earnings fell from about £3 10s to about £2 and truckers from- about 37s to about 31s. Prior to .the dispute the average daily output at the Strongman jnine was 450 tons, but' for the .past fortnight it has been only 250 tons. ' It is understood there were several causes for the imposition of 'the • goslow," but that the Miuister refused to give the proposed dispu|es committee a blanket order of reference. It is proposed that the Committee should consider only wliat allowanee, if any, is payable to a pair of miners wliere, on account of the grade, two men are required to push empty boxes from the tip up to the face where the face is within 30 feet of the starting point.