COAL TROUBLE

Hokitika Guardian, 21 June 1932, Page 5

COAL TROUBLE

THE MINERS’ CASE

OUTLINED BY EX-OFFICIAL

s . . L t , .■ (By Telegraph'—Pet Press Association)

CHRISTCHURCH, June 20. At an open ' air .meeting at the Edmonds Band 'Rotunda'a former VicePresident of the N.Z. Miners’ Federation, Mr F. ! H. Grant, gave an address on, the coal ..dispute. He said the mi nets had taken a very reasonable attitude in going back to work before they 'were granted a conference with the mine owners. In the award,? 25' yeans ago a clause was inserted to the effect that men working ‘in wet parts of the mines should y-wp-rk only sfix hours. Up to that time the men so employed had worked for eight-hours, receiving two hours’ additional pay. The men held that it was unhealthy work and wanted a six hour day under those conditions.

. The miners had always had an understanding with the owners that it .any men were to be dismissed, the men who were th 6 last to be engaged should be the ones to go. The owners now desired tfi depart from the p reticej. In mining settlements a diffeN ent position obtained than in- otnef places. If a man was dismissed from, eay, the Denniston mine, tb* only chance of procuring further work was to leave the district. Thus it vvouid happen that fami'io would b e split «P. sons having to leave hom e and the father remaining bd'iind or vice. versa. This position could genera.'y be obviated by The more recently engaged men being dismissed. Times out of number when the mines? had gone out on strike the employers had always insisted that they should go back to work before a conference would bg called. The men held that there should be a departure ■from this-practice for the reason .that they did not (have the same power when they were back at work as they had when they were out on strike. *The strike morale had been broken. The owners also desired to depart from the minimum wage clause. This meant at present that men working in hard sections of the m'ine were assured of the minimum wage whereas if it were not for that they would b e earning much less on piecework, anything up to 10s -a day, .; than a man on’y a few feet away from them. These hard sections had to be worked to keep the plan of the mine on .the right basis. These -sections were assigned in the Quarterly cavil —which amounted to a -ballot - for-places.* « . .

HITOS AT HIKURANGT

NO RESUMPTION AT PfcESEVi

WUANGARET, June 20, A hitch has occurred " a* Rikufangi, where the following notice was posted by the miners’ioSfoials to-dey showing to tlhe owners.(.forcing Clause 27a of the new proposals, managers' restrictive right to engage or dismiss labour, there will not be a on in 'the meantime.

The miners’ secretary says the: decision to resume \va s made on the understanding that the owners were prepared for an unconditional conference, whereas the Union haj learned that the ounces adhere to the condition regarding Clause 27a.