OVERTIME BAN ON WHARVES

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26363, 6 March 1951, Page 7

OVERTIME BAN ON WHARVES

Australia To Use Crimes Act

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) ‘ CANBERRA, March 5. The Governor-General of Australia (Mr W. J. McKell) has signed a proclamation invoking the Crimes Act against watersiders throughout Australia for their ban on the working of overtime. The watersiders will be given until Thursday to abandon their prohibition before the Government uses the penal provisions of the act. The delay is to give the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (Mr A. E. Monk) an opportunity to vindicate his claim that the dispute can be settled by Wednesday without drastic Government action. The proclamation will declare that a state of national emergency exists, and that watersiders expressing opposition to the overtime provisions of their award, except by legal means, are liable to imprisonment.

The armed services have been alerted for waterfront duty ia the event of a general stoppage by the watersiders.

The watersiders resumed work on the Sydney waterfront to-day with no variation of the executive's instruction not to work overtime. Nearly 80 ships called for labour. Mr Monk, on behalf of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, today appealed to the Federal Government not to proclaim the Crimes Act pending a meeting of the Watersiders’ Federal Council on Wednesday. He made his request to the Minister of Labour (Mr H. E. Holt) by telephone, saying that he felt confident the dispute over the watersiders’ ban could be settled this week.

Mr Holt, who is in Melbourne, refused to delay the proclamation, but said that he would discuss the waterfront crisis with Federal Ministers. The general secretary of the’’Waterside Workers’ Federation (Mr J. Healy) said that some outstanding points arising from the previous discussions had been cleaned up at the conference with Mr Monk, and that it had been decided to convene a full meeting of the Federal council in Sydney on Wednesday. He added; “Any attempt by the Government to proceed with its intention of using the Crimes Act against federation officers or members will only lead to further hostility on the waterfront, and will completely nullify any progress towards a settlement that may have been made possible by the discussions which have to be reported on. Apparently the Government is so deeply committed to its war plans that the use of repressive measures becomes of primary importance in its treatment of industrial disputes.” Mr Healy continued: “Threats of gaoling, deportation, or the fining of individuals have never yet settled, nor will they now settle, any dispute, or prevent Australian workers fighting for their rights. Nor will they prevent the Australian people from demanding a constructive policy for world peace instead of the present policy, which only envisages another disastrous war.”