The Hermand Strike, 1901

SHALE MINERS' STRIKE AT WEST CALDER.

The shale miners of the New Hermand Oil Company have struck work against a reduction of wages. The mining is paid per fathomage in the company's mines, and the company Gave notice of a reduction in the rate paid of 6s. per fathom, owing to the workings being widened to 12 feet instead of 10 feet as formerly .

Mr John Wilson, miners' agent and chairman of the local branch of the Miners' Union, had a conference with the company's officials, but no agreement could be arrived at, and the union have taken the miners out. The strike pay to the men is 12s. per week, and 1s. for each child. The company have a large bing of shale, and it is expected they will draw supplies from it to keep the retorts going.

The Scotsman 16th July 1901

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HERMAND STRIKE:

Sir,—As there appears to be a considerable amount of misconception abroad anent the above strike, it may not be out of place that I should state the actual facts of the case from the Company's point of view.

In Monday's "Glasgow Herald" there appeared a notice of a mass meeting of our shale miners held in West Calder. This meeting was addressed by Mr John Wilson, who is stated to have advised the men to stand by their demand, which was for the same tonnage rate as paid by Young's Coy. It is to be noted that not only is no notice taken by Mr Wilson of the different conditions prevailing in different mines, but he absolutely refuses to recognise same, whereas it is very well known by all miners that higher wages are often earned at a lower tonnage rate than at a higher, so much depends upon the thickness of the seam being worked and the facility with which it can be mined.

Conditions vary very considerably not only in different fields but very often in the same field, and that to such an extent that in the same pit the rates frequently vary. As a proof, I may say that when we had three mines working, all in the same seam, the rate varied in each mine, and that to the extent of from 3d to 6d per ton, and those who were working at the highest rate were really earning the smallest daily wage. Now, are the conditions the same?

I say emphatically that they are not, and I think it will be sufficient to state the thickness of the seams to demonstrate this. Our seam is about 7 feet thick, or from 12 to 18 inches thicker than the Fells seam, which is being worked by Young's Coy. As some doubt was expressed on this point the Company proposed, on 23rd inst., that the seams should be measured. As there was some delay, a telegram was sent to Mr J. Wilson ou 27th, that the Coy. were "waiting fulfilment of his promise to have seams measured," and a reply was ultimately received that he "advised men to accept proposed arbitration, and had called a meeting."

The Company have been informed today that a meeting was held last night. attended by about 35 or 40 men, and that a decision, not to measure the seams, was arrived at by a majority of those present—there being only about a fifth part present of the total number involved. Now, I wish it to be clearly understood that we don't ask our miners to work at less wages than are being paid by other Companies. I have all along maintained that the true test of the whole matter is the amount of the daily wages earned.

The figures I now give will enable miners working with other Companies to judge whether our men have been under or over paid. I find that for the week ending 10th July the following rates were earned:— A squad of 6 miners made an average daily wage of 9s 7d; another squad of 5 earned 9s 5d; another squad of 5 earned 8s 3d; other two squads, each of 5 men, earned 7s 10d; then a squad of 4 earned 7s 7d; a squad of 5 earned 7s 6d; a squad of 6 earned 7s 5d. These wages are for men and boys overhead.

I had an interview at the Coy.'s office with Mr J. Wilson on 19th inst., along with Mr Ross, one of my colleagues on the Board, and the Company manager, and again put forward this argument. As I was doing so, a newspaper was put into my hands, and I was asked to read a paragraph, which was to the following effect:—"It was a wage question at the bottom, and members could not support any of their members on strike if the latter could get conditions which enabled them to earn as good wages as the general body.

We think they would agree with us that their Union funds should not be wasted and levies queered out of them to keep men going about idle who have conditions of work which will allow them to make as good wages as are earned in any county in Scotland." I was not a little surprised to find that the speaker on this occasion was none other than Mr J. Wilson himself, and when he was challenged on the point and told that this was exactly our point, he could only retort that "he must have two strings to his bow."

I explained very fully to Mr Wilson that in the present deplorable condition of the oil trade in Scotland, it was simply impossible for us to go on at the old rates. There have been very heavy reductions in the value of all classes of oil, and in addition there has been an enormous reduction in the value of wax, a reduction forced by the Standard Oil Coy. of America, which means a difference of something approaching a quarter of a million a year in the earnings of the Scottish Mineral Oil Companies. We recently extended our works here, with the view of being in a position to produce oil at a lower cost, and have succeeded in making a considerable reduction, but as the fall in values to which I have referred, means about £8000 or £9000 a year to this Company, the reduction in costs is by no means sufficient to recoup us for the lower prices now ruling.

I repeat it is not a case of our asking our miners to work at less wages than are being paid by other Companies. We are satisfied that our men, at the rate we have offered, can easily earn as much as those elsewhere, in the same class of mines. In conclusion. I have simply to say, if the result of the present strike is the closing of the works, I think that it cannot but be admitted the men will have themselves to blame.—l am, etc.,

E. CHAMBERS

Chairman New Hermand Oil Co., Ltd., Breich Works, West Calder, 30th Aug., 1901.

West Lothian Courier - Friday 30 August 1901

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

THE HERMAND STRIKE.

John Wilson, Miners' Secretary, writes:

This strike has now lasted about eight weeks. Mr Chalmers, the Chairman the company, has published a statement defending the company's position. He gives the wages earned by several squads of men. The members of the Miners' Association and its officials cannot have the rates fixed by the wages which several of the best men are able to earn. They must be governed the average wage earned.

Mr Wilson submitted a statement to the men, which he got from Mr Thomson, the manager, at the meeting which declared a strike. The manager's statement showed that the average wage was under 7s per day, after deducting cost of powder. This puts quite a different face on the position as compared with the figures given by Mr Chalmers.

Mr Chalmers states that I have laid down the principle in other disputes that men are not to contend for uniform tonnage rate, but for conditions of work which will enable them to earn as good a wage as the general body of the men at work. I stand by the principle which Mr Chalmers quotes. I affirm, however, that on the tonnage rates and conditions of work which we are asking from the Hermand Company that the Hermand miners cannot make a better average wage than is presently being earned in more than half the mines in Scotland. He cannot show that his men are better off or will be better off on their own terms than a majority of the face men in the shale mines at the present moment.

The Hermand miners are asking 2s 5d per ton, the same as is paid to Young's Company for the same seam. They are willing to give the same weighing conditions as Young's Company, which is an absolutely fair offer from the Hermand men and the Miners' Association. Why should the Hermand men or the Miners' Association give Hermand Company better conditions of work or allow them to get cheaper shale than the other oil companies?

Whatever conditions the Miners’ Association give Hermand Company, they will be bound in honour to give the same conditions to other companies. If the shale Miners Association acceded to the claim of Hermand Company a partial reduction would be inevitable in half the shale mines in Scotland. It is surely not to be supposed that workmen are going voluntarily to injure their position when they are under no absolute necessity to do so.

It will be better for shale miners as a body that the Hermand Works should be closed than that the general body of the shale miners should have their wages unnecessarily lowered. The Hermand Works will not be closed indefinitely. The present shareholders will either have to keep them going or sell them as in the case of Seafield and Deans. The closing of a small place like Hermand simply leads to the expansion of the other oil works to meet the requirements of the trade. As many men are employed a few large companies as by a large number of small companies.

The recent offer of the Hermand Company of 2s 4d per ton is very misleading. This 2s 4d is not for a ton of 20 cwts, but is really for a ton of 22 cwts., whereas Young's Oil Company are paying 2s 5d for 21 cwts. No one regrets the position at Hermand more than the miners’ officials, local and general. These officials must defend the men's interests to the utmost of their power, just as managers and directors defend the interests of their shareholders.

A meeting of the Hermand men has been held to consider this last offer the Company, and the men decided that to accept the Company’s offer was invite partial reductions in the other shale works. They refused by a large majority to be party to such injurious consequences and to stand firm until the same terms as those of Young's Oil Company were given them. If the miners' officials were to agree to a rule of working which would meet every small difference in seams worked by different companies, or differences of places in the same seam, there could be neither law nor order as between the men and the employers or amongst men themselves. Differences have to be serious and vital before they can be recognised as warranting a difference in the rates of payment.

Edinburgh Evening News, 5th September 1901

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THE WEST CALDER MINERS' STRIKE.

NEW DEVELOPMENT.

A new development has taken place in connection with the shale miners' strike at New Hermand. An outside contractor has secured a number of miners, and the men are at work. Mr Wilson, miners' agent, held a meeting with the miners on strike last night, and decided to place a picket this morning to persuade the miners from working. Mr Wilson has had an interview with Mr Thomson, manager of the works, and after discussing the question of settlement, has accepted the company's offer of 2s 4d per ton if the company will take 21 cwts. instead of 22 cwts. per ton. There is thus a good prospect of a settlement.

Edinburgh Evening News, 12th September 1901

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NEW HERMAND SHALE MINERS' STRIKE SETTLED.

A basis of compromise between the New Hermand Oil Company and their shale miners, who have been on strike for nine weeks, was suggested, to the effect that a dirt scale be adopted whereby one hutch from each miner be inspected daily, and if a half cwt. of dirt be found, that a similar quantity be deducted from all hutches of that miner's output that day. The president and officials of the local miners' union met and considered the proposal on Friday last, and after conferring with the Broxburn representatives, they intimated to the works manager that they would accept the suggestion which he had offered them.

On Saturday the directors of the New Hermand Company also accepted the proposal. Mr John Wilson, miners' agent, along with the local officials, met the manager of the New Hermand Oil Company on Tuesday night, and a satisfactory arrangement was arrived at regarding the shale miners’ dirt scale. This puts an end to the long continued strike and the New Hermand Oilworks were reopened on Wednesday morning. General satisfaction is felt throughout the district that the dispute has been settled.

West Lothian Courier, 27th September 1901