The Miners' Federation of Great Britain

Terms of Settlement in the Districts

Durham

The following conditions with respect to the wages and conditions of employment of persons employed at the coal mines in the County of Durham are agreed between the Durham Coal Owners' Association and the Durham County Mining Federation hereinafter referred to as "the parties".

1. There shall be established a District Board consisting of such number of members as may be determined by the parties.

2. The rules of procedure shall include a provision for the appointment of an Independent Chairman and for the voting to be by sides.

3. The wages payable in the district up to the 28th February, 1927, shall be at the rate of 89 per cent. above basis rates. There shall in addition be the payments specified in Clause 6 hereof.

4. The wages payable in the district in subsequent periods other than the payments specified in Clause 6 hereof, shall be expressed in the form of a percentage of the basis rates prevailing at the collieries at the time of adjustment, and shall be periodically adjusted in accordance with the results of the industry in the district as ascertained from time to time. The amount of the percentage to be paid in the district during any period shall be determined by the results of the industry during a previous period as ascertained from returns to be made by the owners. Such returns to be forwarded to independent accountants appointed by each of the parties, and to be checked by test audits of the owners' books carried out jointly by these accountants as arranged by them. The independent accountants shall be entitled to refer any questions arising out of the test audits to the District Boards.

5. The sum to be applied in the district to the payment of wages shall be equal to 87 per cent. of the surplus of the proceeds remaining after deduction therefrom of the costs of production other than wages as defined in paragraph 6 of the Schedule hereto, which sets out the principles to be followed for the purpose of the periodical ascertainments.

6. In arriving at the amount to be expressed as a percentage of the basis rates in conformity with Clause 4 hereof, the following items shall be treated as payments on account of wages, and not as costs of production other than wages :—

7. The methods to be adopted for ascertaining fair values to be placed upon workers' houses and coal and fair prices in regard to coal or other transfers to excluded activities or in regard to any transfers to the collieries from the excluded activities shall, failing agreement by the Joint Accountants, be determined by a sub-committee appointed by the District Board. The Joint Accountants to attend meetings of the sub-committee when requested by the sub-committee to do so.

8. If the rates of wages as determined in the district do not provide in any period a subsistence wage to low paid adult day-wage workers, such additions in the form of allowance per shift worked shall be made for that period to the daily wage of these workers, as, in the opinion of the District Board, may be necessary for the purpose, but from the commencement of this agreement until otherwise determined the amount shall be such as to make up the wages of the persons concerned to 6s. 8½d. per shift.

9. If in any period of ascertainment the percentage addition to basis rates ascertained as hereinbefore provided shall be less than 89, then 89 per cent. shall nevertheless be paid as a minimum percentage. but the amount of the deficiency represented by the difference between the sum applicable to wages after giving effect to the terms of clause 6 hereof and the cost of wages at the minimum percentage shall be deducted in the next subsequent ascertainment from any balance available in excess of the cost of wages at the minimum percentage. If there should be no balance available for meeting a deficiency, or any part thereof, the deficiency or such proportion thereof as may remain shall be carried forward to be made good in the subsequent period or periods.

In the event of the District Boards deciding under clause 10 hereof to vary the periods of ascertainment, then in calculating deficiencies and their recoupment, regard shall be had by the Independent Accountants to the fact that the results of any one month enter the ascertainment figures which govern the wages payable in respect of two or more months; or that an ascertainment which includes the results of two or more months governs the wages payable in respect of only one month.

10. The period of ascertainment shall, until otherwise determined, be one month. The percentage payable for the month of March, 1927, shall be determined by the ascertainment of proceeds for the month of January, 1927 for the month of April, 1927, by the proceeds for the month of February, 1927, and so on. The periods of ascertainment may be varied by the decision of the District Board.

11. In ascertaining the proceeds and costs other than wages the accountants shall, unless and until otherwise determined, follow the principles set out in the Schedule attached hereto.

The following additional arrangements with respect to wages, hours and working conditions in the district shall apply

12. The hours of coal hewers shall be 7½ per shift, plus one winding time. For all other classes of underground workers except deputies the hours shall be 8 per shift, plus one winding time. The hours of deputies shall be 7½ per shift, plus one winding time, it being understood that if required they shall stay longer and be paid an equivalent wage for overtime.

13. The county standard basis wage for hewers and fillers shall be 4s. 8d. per shift.

14. The 12½ per cent. addition to pieceworkers' wages, whether merged in the prices or not, which were granted on the reduction of hours in 1919, shall no longer apply.

15. The hours of men employed at the surface shall be 49 per week, exclusive of mealtimes.

16. Hewers and fillers shall, if required by the management, do the necessary stone and shift work at and about the face in all systems of working, and if required by the management, shall work together and pool their earnings.

17. Where machine mining is applied the persons employed on this method, whether machine men, drillers, fillers, pullers-up of conveyors, or canchmen, shall, when required, work in conjunction with each other and all or any of them shall do any necessary work when required although it may be outside their ordinary work.

18. All seams where the management require shall be cavilled separately.

19. The practice of sitting at the kist shall be abolished and the men shall go straight to their working places as soon as authorised to do so by the deputy, and remain for the full hours of the shift.

20. Machinery shall be set up without delay for the adjustment of piecework rates and determination of other matters of dispute continually arising at the pits.

21. This agreement shall continue in operation for one year from the date hereof subject to one months notice by either party given after the expiration of that period.

NOTE — Agreement not yet signed.