WORK AT OTIRA TUNNEL

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2154, 21 May 1914, Page 6

WORK AT OTIRA TUNNEL

REPORT OF TROUBLE. tJNION SECRETARY'S VERSION. (By reJ.O£rxi'pl:.—Press Greymouth, May 20, Hearing that there was trouole at the Bealey end of the Qtira tunnel, an "Argus" reporter interviewed Mr. H. T. Armstrong, secretary of the Workers' Union, as to the causes. He gave the following account: —"Since Messrs.. M'Lean an;l Sons gave up the contract for tho Otira tunnel, tho Public Works Department carried out the work on duy labour, and According to statements made by the Ministers the system has given. satisfaction, and they were satis* fied with the progress made. About three weeks ago a notice was posted at the Bealey end stating that, according to instructions from the Minister, tl« tunnel wonld be done on contract- from May 4-. The men then held a meeting to disenss' the position, and passed a resolution refusing- to taJse the contract, sent a. deputation- to tho engineer ill charge to explain their Teasons far not taking the sruiit\ Tho engineer agreed to hold th'a contract back for a. fortnight, and in the mean* time thoy would try to arrange that conditions' and prices would be more satisfactory to tho men. Tii# deputation again met the engineer a week later,' and informed him that they were, instructed by the, men to refuse to t-ako work on-contract. However, thev discussed with him »riees and conditions, and the engineer -then agreed to increase the prices and put the tunnel in work* ing order ami to supply more tools, tracks, tniicliif.es, and many iothor tilings considered necessary before starting w-ork on contract. The deputation then reported to a meeting of the men, j but the oottttaet was again lefused by them. Mr. Armstrong then telegraphed the Minister of Public AVorlcs, protest-' iiig against the contract system and contending that it would increase the accidents, frhieh already wore far too numerous. The Minister's -reply was to the e-ffeet that his engineer had reported that progress was unsatisfactory, and that a change to the contract system was necessary. The next tnoveiiy the Department was to send Mr. Cowing, who is in charge, of tho Beaky eud> to interview every man individually and put' down names for or against contract, Some- were) told that if they , did not take contract they would he locked out. Others wo. told that 110 one would know how, they voted, but the 'boss' had to know in ttvery ease. Perhaps this is the kind,of secret; ballot that Mr. Masscy is ,g<?ing to give us in tho new Bill. On _Sunday last, the men had another meeting, and notwithstanding objections to the, contract system, agreed to take contract sooner than have trouble its soon as the conditions Agreed to by the Deportment had been complied witli. However, the Department has not kept their part of the agreement, but instead have locked tho wen out and closed down tho work. According to the Industrial Disputes Act, passed last session, whether a union is registered under the Arbitration Act, or not, fourteen days' notice must be given to tho Minister of Labour of their intention to strike and by tho einnlover of his intention to lock out. This was not done by the Department, and it frM be. interesting now to see whether*the Public Works Department will be prosecuted for a breach of tho Industrial Disputes Act. Tile men were willing to start contract work as soon as the. Department complied with their part of the agreement. Another square deal for Labour," added Mr, Armstrong. iThe above message, which is the ex-part© statement of the secretary of the Workers' Union, arrived too late last night to enable the Public Works Department's version of the position to bp obtained.!