Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 05 September 1930

Houghton Main Dispute.

Temporary Settlement. The dispute over working conditions at the Houghton Main Colliery, which culminated in the men on the afternoon shift refusing to go down the pit on Thursday, has been temporarily tided over, and the pit is working as usual.

On Friday the branch officials saw the manager, Mr. J. H. Hesketh, with the result that arrangements were made to get over the difficulty until an interview with Mr. J. Brass, the general manager, can be arranged. The main issue has still to be dealt with, although certain points had been settled.

The men’s representative advised them to continue working, and they were doing so. He said there were a hundred and one little difficulties, and the trouble was due rather to an accumulation of grievances. The men felt that the conditions of the conveyor price list were not being kept. They alleged that whereas the list provides only for throwing the coal once they were being required to throw it twice without extra payment.

There was also trouble over waiting time. This was confined to the Parkgate seam, where the men said they often had to wait a considerable time after they had gone down the pit before their working place, were ready for them. Their contention was that they ought to be paid for waiting, as this delay arose through no fault of their own.

About 400 men are affected in the Melton Field seam, where the conveyors are need, but of these only about one-third are actual coal-getters.