MAUI POMARE AND UNIONS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25380, 31 December 1947, Page 6

MAUI POMARE AND UNIONS

RENEWED THREAT OF ACTION

CONDITIONS OF WORKERS IN COOK ISLANDS

(P.A.) WELLINGTON. December 30. A renewed threat to declare the Maui Pomare black unless various conditions were observed when the ship makes her next trip to the Cook Islands has resulted from union meetings held in Auckland yesterday afternoon and Ihis morning. It is advised in Wellington that all the maritime unions are now involved in the proposed action and will insist on an open and representative inquiry into the situation in the islands.

Yesterday afternoon the Auckland central committee of waterfront unions unanimously agreed to declare the ship black after her next trip to the islands unless conditions reached between presentatives of the New Zealand Federation of Labour and the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union are observed.

The conditions are: That a preferential register of bona fide watersiders in the Cook Islands should be kept; that endeavours should be made to persuade the WatersiderS to join the Cook Islands Workers’ Union voluntarily; that the national executive of the Federation of Labour meet in the middle of January to discuss the delegation to the islands; and if these propositions do not operate satisfactorily the Federation of Labour should discuss the position of registering the watersiders’ union in the Islands. Members of the seamen’s union held a stop-work meeting in Auckland this morning and it is reported that the crew of the Maui Pomare desired to have the ship declared black and said that they worked the ship at Rarotonga only because advised to do so by the union in Auckland, reputedly at the request of the Government. It is reported that the seamen were dissuaded from a desire to have the ship declared black and conformed to the opinion of the maritime unions that the workers should wait and see whether the idustrial conditions were observed when the ship, returned to the inlands. _____________