WATERFRONT DISPUTE

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25859, 19 July 1949, Page 4

WATERFRONT DISPUTE

e Ban On Overtime Extended DIRECTION GIVEN TO LYTTELTON (New Zealand Press Association.) . WELLINGTON, July 18. The National Council of the Waterside Workers' Union lias directed that the ban on overtime work, in force at Auckland for some weeks, be extended to Wellington, Lyttelton. Port Chalmers, Dunedin, and Bluff. The overtime han is to apply until the union’s demands for amendments to regulations governing the waterfront have been met. A m'eeting of the Lyttelton branch of the union will be held at 1 p.m-, to-morrow, when the four Lyttelton delegates to the recent meeting of the national council of the union will make their report The meeting will also receive the direction of the national council that no overtime be worked. Wellington and Bluff Decisions The ban on overtime work was adopted by the Wellington branch of the union to-day on the direction of the national council. Wellington watersiders held a stop-work meeting at 1 p.m. to consider the national council’s decision. The meeting ended just before 4 o’clock, after which the men put the hatch covers on the ships being worked and went home for the day. The walking delegate (Mr J. E. Napier) said • after the meeting that work would be restricted to a 44-hour week instead of the usual spread of 59 hours. The hours worked would be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on week days, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Normal night work from 6 o’clock to 9 o’clock would not be performed for the duration of the ban. This decision had been adopted by an overwhelming majority. After a meeting lasting four hours this morning. Bluff waterside workers decided to adopt the direction of the national council. The meeting was the usual monthly stop-work meeting which had been postponed until the secretary (Mr F. Vella) returned from Wellington. • Mr Vella told a reporter to-day that a statement would be issued by the national council in the near future.

SEVEN SHIPS DELAYED AT WELLINGTON

(New Zealand Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 18. Because of the watersiders’ stopwork meeting this afternoon and their refusal to work overtime this evening, no ships left Wellington to-day except the inter-Island steamers Hinemoa and Tamahine. In all six overseas and 14 coastal vessels were affected by the reduction in working time. The Ereeze. the Echo, the Wairau, the Marlyn. the Wakanui, the Holmdale. and the Wingatui, which vjere listed to sail to-day have been set down to leave to-morrow. The stopping of night work on the wharves is likely to affect smaller coastal vessels more seriously than others, as they depend on the extra hours worked at night to complete unloading and loading within a day.