THE SALVAGING

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14760, 2 September 1913, Page 8

THE SALVAGING

L.AP.OI-R 'WANTS MORE." A DEADLOCK. VERY SERIOUS POSITION. (BP»?1AT. TO - THY. PUKSS.") WELLINGTON. September 1. A very serious position from many points of view arose to-day in connection with the salvnge operations of th? ■Devon. This occurred through tho refusal of members of the Waterside Workers' Union to handle cargo salved from the Devon. Some 15 of the permanent hands of the Wellington Harbour Board also refused to do this work, and as the rest (except one) supported them in, their refusal, the whole staff was suspended. On Saturday the Waterside Workers' Union men refused 2s an hour ordinary and 3s an hour overtime, to work on tho Devon, demanding 5s per hour, on the ground that the work was arduous. This offer of 2s an hour and; 3e overtime was 7d an hour ordinary time ovei tho rates paid on the Wellington wharves. - FREE LABOUR. . . Having the Union men's refusal to work, the agents engaged free labour, and with it excellent work was done on Saturday, no fewer than 1050 cases ot oil and some machinery being salvaged. The company conveyed the men out to the wreck and back, and fed them, their time counting from departure from Wellington to return. Practically thirteen hours' work was guaranteed, bringing in something like £1 10s a day. It. was understood that ns the work grew more arduous and came to tho water, the remuneration would be correspondingly increased. The cargo salved was on board the Waroa and Echo at tho wool wliari awaiting discharge at 8 o'clock this morning,, hut on labour being sou eh t to discharge the cargo, nono was forthcoming. The agents appealed to, the Harbour Board, the body responsible for the conveyance of cargo from tho ship's -side to the elied,, and the Board, through its officials, asked a gang; of eight men from its permanent staff to turn to at the Awaroa. They refused to do &o, and were immediatel* suspended, and at 1 ' p.nr. •'; second gang of '•permanents' (in tho employ of the Board the who! year through) was asked to work th Awaroa's cargo, and all except one re fused, after, a consultation, with Cap ta:n Munro (wharfinger), and wero sus ponded. The rest of the permanen staff then waited on the secretary (M; H. Nicholls) and tho wharfinger, anc after going into the pros "and conso: the whole matter, Mr Nicholls gave th< I men an hour'to decide what actioi they were going "to take—whether thej would work the Awaroa's cargo or not The men held a meeting, and wher the'time limit was up. their represent tatives informed the secretary that thej had decided to endorse the action ol the fifteen men who had refused- t< work the Awaroa's cargo, whereupoi the whole sixty-five permanent la bourers on the-staff of the Board wen suspended. -■- " * . - • _ A SERIOUS BREACH. , • The refusal of each section of men ii serious.- The Waterside Workers , Unior has an agreement with the Bbarc which continues in operation "till January, 1914, and the precipitate action of the waterside workers is held to be a distinct;breach of this agreement. It id therein provided that any dispute or difference shall be referred to a comnu'ttee, fo be composed of three representatives, of the Union at the port concerned, aid three representatives of for decision. The decision of the majority of the committee shall be binding, and if no decision is arrived- at, the committee, shall submit the point in dispute to some independent person to be .chosen by it, and if his decision is not acceptable to both parties, then; the matter shall be referred for further negotiation to the New Zealand Federation of Labour and. the employer or employers concernedi The action of the men, in tho terms of tho agreement, would certainly seem to call for explanation. One possible excuse is that the work asked to be done originated outside the harbour but just what are the harbour . limits in the locality of the Heads is clearly set out on the big maps on tho walls of the Harbour Boards room, where an arc ie described from a point about half-way between' Pencarrow and Baring Heads on the eastern side of the entrance, tc the west beach,. Island Bay, to the west. The ''Gazette" notice describing the legal harbour limits details the line as "a circle three'nautical miles'from the outer rock of Barretts Reef."" This leaves tho Devon well within the harbour limits, if not within the harbour proper. • . THE PERMANENT HANDS. . As far as the action of the permanent hands is. concerned, the Board's officers were very surprised. l The men, ! it is urged, were asked to do evory-day work —work absolutely within their province—and their , refusal.'to turn to, it;is stated, has complicated the situation as far as salving cargo from the Dovon is concerned, and has jeopardised their own position as'members of the Harbour Boards staff. These men have very special privileges, iheir first uniform is given them free of charge, and For tho others they only have to pay half the cost. They are entitled to sick pay. and get full pay if injured in the service of the Board. Also, they have a superannuation fund.- towards which the Board contributes £65 for every £100 paid in by, tho men". They are paid a fixed wago all the year round—busy timee and slack. Recently they formed au association and wrote to tho Board that it- had nothing whatever to do with any union or federation. The. position is to be considered by a special ; meeting of the Board tomorrow morning. There exist all the elements for very serious complication! arising. *