GASWORKS TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3154, 4 August 1917, Page 9

GASWORKS TROUBLE

STOP-WORK MEETING

' A BESOLUTION WITH A,SUGGESTION

i The lnstory of the.gasworks trouble is ! .becoming.-interosting.as it lengthens out. ■Mutually 18 stokers (retort hands) gave a lortnights notice of intention io ceasn ■work, and at tho ond of that period did cease -n-ork,.though in the meantime tho jndusfcry of gasmaking ha<l been declared an essential one. The Conipany stniK.ijled to keep.faith with the public. Tho (■recalcitrant men wrt'o approached to retuirii to work, nssuranees being given that their,grievances would receive consideration, but they remained .firm, a-nd tho .-slow but lengthy arm of tho law was •exerted; the.men woro charged with a ibreaeh of the.War Regulations, and were -Sned.JJo each. In tho meantimo coal arfrived for the Gas Company, but the coal workers declined to touch tho coal. Be'ing .members of tho; Waterside Workers' iUnion that body became.interested in tho ■'dispute. Then the Primo-Minister man■aged to bring all tho parties together and : patched up a signed .peace, on Wednesday 'last, .which was broken almost before the 'ink of the signatures was dry. It was -then stated that the -men -immediately concerned refused to back up their representatives. A meeting.of the Water'side -.Workers' Union was held onThur& ! day night, and was followed by a general' Jstop-work meeting yesterday, held in X Shed, and lasting from 8 till 10 a.m., at -which the wholo business was discussed almost threadbare,- the general, opinion of members being averse to anything that L-wonld tend to provoko a general strike. . As tho result of that meeting the following resolution .was /passed ~nml for--.warded, to tho Prime Minister:— "Seeing that wo arc not,officioily concerned, this stop-work meeting of tho Wellington Waterside Workers Union is of opinion that tho timo has arrived'when, the dispute between,the ; gas stokers and the Gas Company ' ;ehould.be taken, out. of .tho hands of both parties, for it is tho.-opinion of ,'this meeting that except such etepe are taken thero is grave danger of an industrial upheaval taking placo that -will affect all New Zeland. Wo suggest :that the gas • workers . appoint three representatives outside ot the industry to represent.them, and that the Gas Company appoint three representatives, such representatives not •to-be shareholders, of .tho Gas-.Com-•panv,-the .said committee to appoint an independent ctoman, the decision of the .committee to.ibe. binding on both parties." At the same, sleeting *twas decided that the coal section of the Waterside Workera' Union-.should hold a stop-wnk.ineet-ing between 8 and 9 o'clock this mornin" presumably to .disousa-further tno proposal of the general meeting. ■Here tho matter : rests :at present.