WORKERS IN WOOLLEN MILLS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2187, 27 June 1914, Page 17

WORKERS IN WOOLLEN MILLS

DEMAND FOR NEW AWARD BEFORE THE CONCILIATION COUNCIL ' The hearing of the application of the. Wellington Woollen -Mills Employees' Union lor a new industrial award, which caino belore the Conciliation Council recently, was continued before the Council yesterday. Mr. P. Hally, Conciliation Commissioner, presided. The assessors were: For tlio employers, Messrs. W. H. 1 , . JJarber, It. Hamsden, and A. C. Donne;.for the men, Messrs. A. A. Walker, and T. Leadbether. Mr. W. A. W. Orenfell ap.peared for the employers and Mr. K. Kennedy for the men. In the new award sought for, higher wages : and better conditions are demanded. Mr. Barber explained* that an adjournment had been made at the previous sitting of the council so that a confer-ence--could be held at Christchurch at which Iwth sides would bo-represented for the purpose of considering the dispute from a Dominion point of view, and bring down a Dominion award. Notification had since been received from tho southern millowners, however, that they were not. prepared to meet the representatives of the men in conference until they cited tho whole of the mills of the Dominion to the dispute. Tho union had refused to do this with the result that the conference had not been held. ' . ' ' -■ : In reply, Mr. Kennedy said that tho adjournment had been made at the suph gestion of tho employers and ;iow the southern millowners wanted tho union t-o cite the whole of tho remainder of tho mills cf the Dominion. Tho union had refused to do this as. it was not part of the bargain made at- tho • adjournment of the council meeting, and for other adequate reasons that the employers were fully conversant with. Mr. Kennedy considered that the employers were trying to place difficulties in tho way of hearing the dispute. : Mr. Grenfell contradicted this. He said that there was a prospect of a settlement , being arrived at'shortly in the Dunedin dispute, > and this would certainly go a long way in tho direction of bringing about a settlement here. ' • " Complaints of Dismissals. v Mr. Kennedy replied that they did not look upon the Dunedin negotiations with favour. Employees, he said, were being "sacked" down there for being identified with the dispute. Information had been received that ecveral men had been discharged who had attended a meeting at Milton while a similar thing had -occurred in Ashburton. The- people whom the employers said were going to settle tlio dispute V/ero thus creating nioro' trouble than anyone else. : Mr. Greiifell considered that it was not fair to infer that this was the policy of the' whole organisation because ono or two mills had acted in such..a manner. " Mr. Kennedy maintained that ho was justified -in saying this, as the Woollen Mills' Association was down there. Ho was, however, not blaming the employers hero. They were not, however, going to cito the whole of tho millowners of the Dominion. If the employers wanted to, they had a perfect right to,cito them themselves. ' "' ;\ A Further Adjournment. -,_ >; Mrv'Greufcll said that the employers tierb' not prepared to go on with the dispute locally .as they were in, duty bound to act with the other centres. There could bo no harm, said Mr. .Grenfell, _in adjourning the Wellington proceedings pending tho council sitting in Dunedin with a' view to making the dispute a Dominion one. "Mr." Kennedy made the suggestion that tho local employers could proceed to discuss the position. Mr. Grenfell replied that if the council decided to go on with the dispute all the employers could offe.r the men was the present, award. ■ ' . The assessors then held a conference 'in. committee and it was ultimately resolved to adjourn the proceedings until definite .advice regarding a Dominion award was received from the executive of tho Millowners' Association by tho local employers.'- '