WORK AND WAGES

Southland Times, Issue 18850, 16 June 1920, Page 5

WORK AND WAGES

MELBOURNE GAS WORKERS’ STRIKE. EXTENSIVE UNEMPLOYMENT. (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) MELBOURNE, June 15. It is estimated that 20,000 workers are idle through the strike. Industry is paralysed. Seven hundred volunteers enrolled at the bureau, including professional men and engineering students at the university. The employees’ representatives conferred with the Premier, who later met the Cabinet, but made no statement to the public. AN ABORTIVE CONFERENCE. SEWERAGE EMPLOYEE’S DEMANDS CONCEDED. MELBOURNE. June 15. (Received June 15, 11.15 p.m.i A conference of employers and strikers proved abortive. There will be no stoppage of work by the sewerage employees, as their demands have been conceded. There has been a great rush upon tho lamp shops, though only a small proportion of the demand has been met. Prices of lighting materials are rising rapid!}'. There are now 15,000 people idle. POSITION AT SYDNEY. A STRIKE UNLIKELY. SYDNEY, June 15. Tire gasworks employees met the companies in conference and agreed on the main point? at issue. The Union resents the suggestion and scouts the possibility of the Melbourne dispute extending to Sydney. WELSH MINERS. A STRIKE SETTLED. LONDON, June 14. A strike of 15,000 miner.? at Rnymney Valley, in Wales, has been settled, and a threatened general stoppage thus averted. ONE BIG UNION. AN IMPRACTICABLE SCHEME. MONTREAL, June 14. (Received June 15, 7.45 p.m.) At the Federation of Labour Congress, Mr Gompers said that one big union could not endure because it ran counter to the laws of human nature. AFFAIRS IN MEW ZEALAND. ARBITRATION COURT'S PRONOUNCEMENT. NOT APPLICABLE TO TRAMWAYMEN. (Per United Press Association,) CHRISTCHURCH, June 15. In (he Arbitration Court to-day tho Christchurch Tramway Employees’ Union asked that the agreement with the Tramway Board dated March 6, 1920, be amended in order to adjust wage?. The application was made to bring the wages into acrordanre with the Court’s pronouncement tit Gisborne on April 27 as to the basic wage and bonus to meet the increased cost of living. Mr H. T. Armstrong, for the union, said the union asked the Court to give effect to its Gisborne pronouncement. Hir- Honour said that conductors, motormen and other employers were not touched upon in tHo Gisborne pronouncement. The conditions in tramway concerns did not obtain in ordinary industries and it was ordinary industries that the Court referred to in its Gisborne pronouncement. The union had had substantial increases tinder the agreement and (hey covered tho Gisborne pronouncement. They were made on account of the cost of living. Mr Armstrong said that the union might have gone in wdth the tramway employee? in other places and secured the concessions they had secured, but it understood Ihat the Board, .after the agreement was made, would not oppose an application to the Court for increases. Ilis Honour said tiie Court could not go beyond it? hound?. The only rcvelant consideration was the increased cost of living sinee the agreemet was made. Mr Thompson, manager of (he Tramway? Board, said that Mr Armstrong seemed to think that the Board had not kept faith with the union, but the Board had given the Gisborne bonus of 14d an hour as soon ns it was announced. It went further, and allowed it on the computation of overtime. The Board therefore had done more than comply with the Court's pronouncement a? to the cost of living. He might add that the present hourly wages in Christchurch were 02 per cent in excess of the pre-war rates and were 34 per cent higher than (he wages in the previous award. The Court reserved its decision.

AUCKLAND GASWORKS EMPLOYEES. AN ULTIMATUM. (Per United Cress Association.) AUCKLAND. June 15. The secret ballot of the Gas Company employees favoured the adoption of •'extreme measures" to enforce their demands for increased wages, by 177 votes to 79. The secretary of the union has advised the Gas Company of the result of the ballot, and has asked that in view of the union’s decision it will give immediate reconsideration to the union’s demands.