WORK DELAYED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 4, 6 January 1938, Page 19

WORK DELAYED.

WATERSIDE DISPUTE. LOADING OF GERMAN SHIP. WON-UinOlf LABOUR ENGAGED. ' (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Wednesday. There was some delay to-day in starting work on the Hamburg-Amerika steamer Naumburg, which arrived at Port Chalmers early in the morning to load a quantity of wool for New York. The situation resulted from the refusal pf the Port Chalmers Waterside Work-

ers' Union to allow non-union labour to be utilised, and it was not until the middle of the afternoon that the dispute was settled and the work of loading the vessel started.

As a result of the unusual,amount of shipping in the port following the New Year holidays, there has been insufficient labour to cope with the. work offering during the past two days. For some time past an arrangement has existed at Dunedin by which, when such a situation arises, the Government placement service is requested by the shipping agent concerned to provide non-union labour. The secretary of the union is advised, and with his concurrence outside labour is used. No Union Labour Available. This was the case to-day. No union laboOr was available at Port Chalmers when a call was made for gangs to work the Naumburg, and the Government placement officer was called upon for ( labour. Some 65 men were obtained ; and were sent by the 9 o'clock train to Port Chalmers, but the necessity for advising the secretary of the union there was overlooked, with the result that when the Dunedin men arrived permission for them to start work was not forthcoming. | It was claimed that the necessary two gangs could be found among the unemployed of Port Chalmers district, but as that number of men is still being called for the claim has not been substantiated. Successful Conference. Conferences between the parties took place during the day, and eventually it arranged that the labour provided from. Dunedin should be accepted, and work was started on the vessel during the afternoon. t>unedin is the only centre in the Dominion where an arrangement for extra waterfront labour exists with the Government placement service, and it is stated that the arrangement has been working to the satisfaction of all concerned for some time.