CHRISTCHURCH TRAMWAYMEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 7 January 1931, Page 3

CHRISTCHURCH TRAMWAYMEN

THREAT OF DIRECT ACTION DENIED

IN NEGOTIATIONS FOR PRESENT AWARD (13y Telegraph—Special to “The Mail’d CHRISTCHURCH, 6th January. Asserting that the last thing in the world tramwaymen wanted was anything in the nature of direct action. Air E. Snow, secretary of the Christchurch Tramway Employees’ Union, made a statement to-day in reply to a suggestion that in the course of negotiations for the present award the Union’s representatives had made some threat of direct action, and stopping the trams. ‘I will explain exactly what happened,” said Mr Snow. “In the course of negotiations before the Conciliation Council, because we failed to agree to a certain proposal made by the board the general manager, Mr Frank Thompson, asked if we wanted to force the board into the position of working outside the jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court. I replied: ‘You know what that means.’ He said: ‘What?’ I replied: ‘You will leave us with no alternative, in the event of a failure to agree, but direct action.’ “We made no threat to take that action,” continued Mr Snow. “We simply made a statement that if the board took that action there would be nothing else left for us. Tlie last thing in the world tramwaymen want is anything in the nature of direct action, and this is shown conclusively by tire fact that ever since the question of boards working outside the jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court was first raised ill 1924 the union has been endeavouring to secure an amendment to tlie Act so that there would be no possibility of tlie necessity of direct action being furced upon it.”