AUCKLAND TRAMWAYMEN.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 2, 8 December 1911, Page 13

AUCKLAND TRAMWAYMEN.

CONFERENCE WITH EMPLOYERS

Dear Worker, —A short while ago the Auckland Tramway Union drew up. a 'schedule of proposed new wages a-nd working conditions, and after revising and printing them, they were submitted to the Auckland Tramway Company and the Takapuna T. and F. Company. The Union received from Hie Auckland Tramway Company a letter of acknowledgment of receipt of the demands and a request for a conference. ■'"Representatives were electedby the Union, who proceeded to head office on November 21 and met the two local directors, Messrs. Rhodes and Hansen, and Mr. Walklate, the general manager. ?Before proceeding with. the business in' hand, Mr. ; Walklate. asked the representatives of the, Union to defer .the"conference until , ; near ; Christmas, , 'Vhen' -Mr. Tegethieier, ©hairman of. the Board: of Directors; would arrive from. Londbn. . j, ? ~:.. •■ • ■ The delegates ; hot 1 haying pbwei* to' act iv the matter; • decided to call a. special, meeting of the Union for Monday, November 27. They were unable to call an earlier meeting owing to the busy time and traffic connected with the Auckland Metropolitan Show. The men were evidently very dissatisfied with tlie'action of the company in attempting to delay tlie inauguration of the proposed agreement. A bone of contention was, although the company have directors on the spot, with local experience of wages, standard:of living, etc., thej 7 practically wanted the Union to postpone the conference until the arrival of a director from tlie Old Country, with practically no knowledge of New Zealand conditions, etc. This little item, added to the several delays, urged in certain quarters, of waiting for cancellation of the Arbitration Court to be effected, waiting for Wellington's Tramway Award, and then for the motormen's licenses to. be issued in accordance with new Tramway Act —roused up the tramway wage "plugs" in no unmistakable fashion, and at their meetings on Monday they decided to give the Tramway Company one week in whicli to arrange the new agreement, or be faced with a stoppage of work over the Christmas holidays. The voting was of no "half-pie" order, 205 in favour of the proposal, and 22 votes against. The delay attempted by the, company was, T think, intended .to cause clissension and division in the camp of the . "plugs," but however, the solidarity and esprit de corps of the, Tramway Union is a truisni amongst the' workers of the Queen City, , and instead of one faction of the Union fighting another, they are united, and after tiie real enemy, the fat exploiter, who corners up their surplus value. The delegates—Messrs. T. White (president), A. Rosser (secretary), E. Fletcher, P. Richardson, C. Robertson, arid J. Willis, with Mr. P. Fraser! of the N.Z.F.L. —met the company s in conference on November 28. The conference will meet each day until an agreement is arrived at, and the' results placed before a meeting of the Union. _ ; •An agreement is expected without any trouble, as our demands are very reasona.ble, and perhaps'not.-even small justice, but anyway a footprint in the march forward to Social Ownership and Democratic Control. "The Worker" is selling well, amongst the uniform bo,ys, and making many converts to Industrial Unionism. I should say before closing that the inspectors and revenue clerks - have joined the Union, a fact of which the chief officer is not very proud; but nevertheless all the more encouraging for the tram slaves of Auckland: SPAN WIRE.