JOB CONTROL.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 17, 21 January 1926, Page 7

JOB CONTROL.

m i TO BE FOUGHT. , 1 ULTIMATUM TO THE UNION. The Australian interstate steamship i companies will in future decline to em- t ploy any member of the Federated Seamen's Union guilty of having caused any vessel belonging to any of the companies to be delayed, or having exercised or having attempted to exercise or cause job control. A letter announcing this determination has been sent by the secretary of the Commonwealth Steamship Owners' Association (Mr. H. M. Adams) to the general secretary of the union ( Mr. H. Raeburn). The companies also will decline to employ any member of the union who unreasonably fails to join his ship or is ■■ absent at sailing time without cause. Accompanying the letter is a memorandum giving 47 cases in which job contral has been practised since an agreement was signed between the union and the association in August. The letter recalls an agreement ot August 6. the fundamental basis of ■which was an undertaking on behalf o* the union and its members to abandon every form of job control and not to interfere with the free selection and en--1 gagement of crews. j In November, the letter continues, several communications were sent to the union, directing its attention to the fact that several cases of job control had occurred since the signing of the agreement, and giving particular instances. The executive council of the union was requested at once to ' take effective' measures in accordance with the terms of the agreement to compel its members to discontinue these practices. 2'ne letter adds that job control was, notwithstanding this, still being persisted in. The ~ association had waited patiently for the executive council of the union to enforce due compliance with the terms of the agreement, and now could only conclude that the executive council either could not or would not take effective measures to compel I its members to honour the agreement. I "The services," the letter states, "cannot be efficiently conducted while subject to constant interruptions. 'I am now directed to inform you," the letter continues, "that, in the best interests of all concerned, unless those job control tactics are at once abandoned, in accordance with the terms of the agreement, the interstate companies will in future decline to employ any I member of the union guilty of causing any ship belonging to any of the companies to be held up or delayed, or of exercising or atempting to exercise job control, or who unreasonably fails to join his ship or is absent at sailing time without just cause. This procedure will be rigidly carried out. The owners are compelled to take this action with a view to putting a stop to persistent instances of job control, and with a view to obtaining compliance with the terms of the agreement." The letter further states that the companies do not believe that the majority of the members of the union are in sympathy with the constant stoppages of work, and they are of the opinion that a few unreasonable men should not be allowed to cause loss of employment to their fellow-unionists, serious loss and inconvenience to the eommuniUy in general, and to prevent the companies from efficiently carrying on vital services. The association asked that the letter should be submitted to the executive union without delay. I .