HOLD-UP CONTINUES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 September 1942, Page 3

HOLD-UP CONTINUES

IN THE WAIKATO MINES WORK IN ONLY ONE YESTERDAY MEN MEET ON STATION PLATFORMS. AND THEN GO HOME AGAIN. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) HAMILTON, September 14. With the exception of the Wilton mine at Ngaruawahia all affected coal mines in the Waikato area were still idle today, the men deciding to re- ' main on strike despite the general assumption that work would be resumed at the various mines this morning.

At the Rotowaro and Alison mines the men, after travelling from Huntly by train, held a meeting on the station platform, and as a result of the decision reached returned home by the next train. Miners at the Renown, Glen Afton and McDonald mines also decided in favour of a continuation of the deadlock, while at the Pukemiro mine, where the present trouble originated, a similar decision was reached.

NO JUSTIFICATION

FOR ACTION TAKEN BY MEN. LABOUR. MINISTER’S REVIEW OF FACTS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The history of the Waikato coal mining dispute was traced last night by the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb. He said that it must be clear to all that there was no justification for the action taken by the men. Their refusal to heed the advice of their own national organisation or to recognise their responsibility and duty to the country in its hour of peril could only be interpreted as a challenge to the State. Mr Webb said that owing to a shortage of truckers in the Pukemiro colliery an arrangement had been entered into between the management and the union whereby any mirier who ■was required to do his own trucking would be paid 26s 6d a shift for so doing, in addition to any earnings he could make by hewing coal at contract rates. This practice continued for some time, but in August the union executive decided that four pairs of miners should not be permitted to continue doing their own trucking. As the mine manager had additional labour available at that time, truckers were put on to do the trucking work. In normal conditions this should have enabled the miners to increase their production, but the reverse happened, and it was contended by the mine management that the four pairs of miners referred to actually curtailed their outputs to such an extent that they failed to earn the minimum wage provided for in the agreement.

The Minister said that the matter evidently came to a head on Wednesday, September 2, when the pay tickets were issued to the Pukemiro miners in the ordinary way before pay day. These tickets showed that the miners concerned had not been made up to the minimum wage. On the following morning, a demand was made by the Pukemiro union on the mine management to pay the minimum wages io the miners, otherwise work would not be resumed. The mine manager refused to accede to this demand, but offered to have the matter referred to a disputes committee in accordance with the terms of the agreement. However, at a mine-mouth meeting the miners at Pukemiro decided not to resume work until the management first agreed to meet their claims for minimum wages, a,nd the colliery was therefore rendered idle that day. At a meeting of the district executive of the Northern Miners’ Union held the same evening, it was resolved by seven votes to one to recommend the Pukemiro branch to resume work, but at a meeting at the. mine on the next morning the Pukemiro miners refused to accept this advice and remained away from work. Stop-work meetings were held at other mines in the Huntly field on the same morning, when the miners decided by 779 votes to 209 to confirm the action of the district executive. On Monday morning, September 7, the miners were again advised by the district executive to resume work, but again the men refused to do so, and the next day, for some inexplicable reason, all the miners in the Huntly field ceased work in sympathy with the Pukemiro men. Since then, the miners had been advised by their own national organisation and by the Federation of Labourto resume work and to allow the dispute to be settled in the constitutional manner, but all without avail. Last Friday a secret ballot was taken and again the decision of the miners, in accordance with the terms of their own rules, was against continuance of the strike. Accordingly, . the miners were advised by their district executive to resume work yesterday morning, but with the exception of the Wilton mine at Glen Massey and the State mine at Mangapehi the miners refused to start work. ’