THE RAILWAYMEN.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 July 1924, Page 4

THE RAILWAYMEN.

forty-eight houk ayeer. .MINISTER REPLIES TO L'RITFCISM. WELLINGTON. July :7. A resolution carried liy unanimous vote ut a recent meeting <J the AYt-I-lingtou Labour Representation Committee “Strongly condemned the Minister of Railways for tho vindictive action taken by him against members of the A.S.ILS. on their resumptirn of work, after the strike, and for his enforcement of the forty-eight-hour v.cek before the tiihnnal had any opportunity of adjudicating oh the dispute."

“We sincerely hole." the committee stated iu forwarding the resolution to the Minister, “that you will not have power to act similarly after next election."

The Minister, the lion. .T. 0. Coates has forwarded a reply to the secretary of .no enmmitice (Mr .T. Tliorni protesting that the allegation of vindictiveness contained in the losolution is grossly unfair and cannot he .substantiated in any way by the actual facts of the case. "Further," he says, “to state that the to; ty-eighl-lmur week was forced on the men before the tribunal had h-ol an opportunity of adjudicating on the dispute indicates an litter lack of appreciation on the part of the committee ol the altitude adopted by the Government and the steps taken lo bring about a settlement of the dispute before the strike took place. The committee, is apparently unaware 01. or conveniently ignores. what a< tually look place. A definite arrangement was entered into between the executive council of the society and myself that I should meet them on March Tl. and go through the whole of the matte's in dispute. The conference took ) hue. hut the executive insisted upon a decision being first given on the wages question without the ease being heard in respect to the other seventy-one requests. This I could not agree to. and conscqueiily the executive jettisoned the arrangement and asked that the claims he itderred to a hoard. This was agreed to. and a loan! on tlie exact lines asked for h.v the* socictv was set up and commenced sitting on March ‘2l. The executive, however, adopted the same tactics as it did at the tonlereiice with myself, and the hoard's operations were rendered abortive by the society's repiv sent a lives v. iihdrawiug, as the hoard would not agree to alienate the wages question from the other claims. “This action precluded consideration of many other important matters, such as extension of weekly hours to forty-eight, and indicates quite clearly not only that the statement of your committee that 1 enforced the resumption of the forty-eight hours week before giving the tribunal an opportunity of considering it is totally incorrect. hut that the inability of the tribunal to consider the question was entirely due to the action of the society's i epresentatives in terminati'" the activities of the hoard at that stage. Every possible elfort was made by me to facilitate further negotiations to obviate trouble, and another tribunal was actually under offer to the society to hear their claims when they decided lo call a strike.

“JJy striking the society undoubtedly scrapped its agreements villi the Government, and thereby forfeited the whole of the concessions and privileges which had been enjoyed by its iiiomUu\s. Although the Government was in a |osition to withdraw these r; : ce.-sious. with the ext cptioii of the reinstatement of tlie forty-eight hour week, for wlii h the men are receiving folly-eight bouts’ pay, and the abolition of the eight-hour day. the men are at | resell( "diking under conditions of the agroeements in lorre when the strike was declared.

“With regard to the resumption of the forty-eight hour week I may say that iusti nctions were phcii on May II | I'oviding for the loitering on extended hours, whereas it was not until ?domlny. June 2. that the society irtiiiuil 'd its accept:-in e of the Loan! which i- al present dealing with die (laiuis."

“I'T'om the foregoing.” concludes Mr ( oates. "it is quite clear that the society has been all'mded cvciy possible ii( porliinity of luc. fug it- Haims thoroughly examined and < nii'idei cd. Its I'eplcsciitat ions have been heard by the Government with toleration and patience, hut the .society, after failing to fully take advantage of the lai iii-lie.-i piovided. took recourse to the 1111 - const it iitional means of forcing its claim on tlie Government. 1 egardle-.s of the fact that they had failed to establish a case beloie the class of tribunal they had been agitating for sonic considerable time. With regard io the final piaragi'siph of your letter, if it is intended to support the 1111(•oiiatilutioiud action taken by the Amalgamated .Society of Railway Servants on Easier Monday, when eveiv facility was placed at its disposal for its claims to he dealt willi in a constitutional manner. I can only conclude that the subsequent step taken by tlie society iii withdrawing its affiliation with an outside organisation will be distinctly to the advantage of the r.ailwa vnicn concerned.’’