DISTRIBUTION OF WATERSIDE WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 15, 19 January 1931, Page 17

DISTRIBUTION OF WATERSIDE WORK.

In view of the fact that the Unemployment Board is at present concentrating attention on the formulation of explicit detailed rules showing how casual employees, such as waterside workers, may become entitled to Sustenance, I sincerely hope the board will take into consideration the present method whereby labour is engaged on the waterfront. Under the existing method of eelecting labour it is quite common to see the same group of men being employed on one ship after another, while a, large number are' receiving a mere pittance and others,arc forced to go to the Charitable Aid Board for assistance. Quite .recently a large majority of waterside workers, voted for a scheme . whereby work would be equally distributed among the whole membership. The scheme was not put into operation. Surely the claim of the waterfiiders for the sharing of the work is a legitimate one. If the prevailing conditions continue then there will be a large number, of watereiders applying for sustenance. It ie stated in Friday's "Star" that the Unemployed Board is anxioue to take great precautions to! safeguard .the contributors' funds and are eeeking and expectin-r co-opera-tion from the employers—then it is up to the employers of labour on the waterfront to express their desire to cooperate with the board by considering the claim of the waterside workers for an equal distribution of the work. It is not a email matter where over 1300 men are concerned and a conference between employers, watersiders' representatives and the Unemployment' Board ahould have beneficial results. EQUITY.