NEW WATERSIDE UNION

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26511, 28 August 1951, Page 6

NEW WATERSIDE UNION

WELLINGTON GROUP REGISTERED

NEGOTIATIONS TO-DAY WITH EMPLOYERS (N»tu Zsaiand Press Association) WELLINGTON,. August 27. The Wellington Cargo Workers’ (Permanent) Union, which was registered to-day, wilt open negotiations tomorrow with the Port Employers’ Association on detailed conditions of employment. It is expected that the union Will be established With about 100 members, whioh is the total remaining on tne Wharves out of about 300 original new unionists in Wellington. *nie preliminary offer of the Port Employers’ Association oh which negotiations Will take place is £8 13s 4d a week on a 40-hour week basis. Mr D. Trsyler, who with Mr D. H. Holmes took the first Steps for the formation of the union of permanent workers, said to-day that no statement would be made or list of officers published at this stage. Captain M. T. Holm, general secretary of the New Zealand Port Employers’ Association, said to-night that employers were fully in accord with the idea of permanent employment. They had always been in favour of it. The association had offered permanent employment to the Auckland union, With Which negotiations were Still in

progress. The formation of this new union means that there will now be two unions of waterfront workers on the Wellington Wharves, one comprising 1200 to 1500 watersiders employed on a casual oasis, and the other, with about 100 members, as the permanent staff Of the port employers. The provisional officers of the Wellington Waterside Workers’ Union elected last week took over the union’s offices in shed IS on the Wellington wharves to-day. They were unable to secufe the key to the offices, but it is said that when they went to the offices the doors were open.