More time is needed by leaders of Lancashire's cardroom operatives for consideration of the details of the new agreement with the employers for linking wages to the Ministry of Labour cost-of-living figures before they are willing to accept it. It was fully expected that this new agreement would have been approved at the quarterly meeting of the Cardroom Amalgamation in Manchester.
Mr. A. Roberts, the secretary, told a "Manchester Guardian" representative after the meeting, "The executive council gave consideration to the agreement in open discussion, but it was felt that more time was needed before arriving at a decision and recommending the agreement to the representative meeting."
An increase of about 10d. in the pound would be obtained under this agreement, provided the Ministry of Labour cost-of-living figures were about the same as at present, and this will cost employers nearly £6,000 a week more, or over £300,000 a year more, when it comes into force this month. The agreement is on similar lines to that in the weaving section, although it is understood that it is not quite as easy to calculate the actual increase to cardroom workers as for weavers, owing to a different wages basis being used for the two agreements.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.