WHARF STRIKE THREATENED

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27988, 7 June 1956, Page 13

WHARF STRIKE THREATENED

New Australian Bill Opposed

(Ti.Z. Press Association —Copyright;

(Rec. 11 p.m.) MELBOURNE, June 6. Australian watersiders toiay threatened a nationwide strike in protest against new legislation to control the waterfront.

A mass meeting during today's 24-hour stoppage of work on the waterfront decided to strike if the Federal Government does not redraft the bill now before Parliament.

The watersiders further called on their Federal council to “take whatever steps are necessary” to make the bill inoperative if it becomes law.

The bill provides for the waterfront to be administered by a new body called the Australian Stevedoring Industry Authority, w’hich will replace the Stevedoring Industry Board. The Minister of Labour (Mr Harold Holt) said the new body would be charged with increasing efficiency on the wharves, with investigating causes of waterfront delays, and with encouraging safe working conditions.

The assistant general secretary of the Watersiders’ Federation (Mr E. Roach) told- a meeting in Melbourne that the bill was “a piece of shipowner legislation” and “the shipowners could not have done better if they had written it themselves.” He said the bill was a vicious and repressive attack on trade unions and should be resisted by watersiders. Provision in the bill for the employment of short-term and supplementary labour and for the use of unregistered men to meet temporary shortages was the thin edge of the wedge, he said. Another provision in the bill enabled the Government to put another union on the waterfront if it wanted to. The bill allowed for harsh disciplinary control over watersiders. but almost no control over employers, he said. The Stevedoring Industry Bill, which is being considered in the House of Representatives, has been strongly contested at every stage by the Labour Opposition. Union objec tian to the bill has the “backing of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

The House of Representatives was in an uproar last night over the new bill. A Government back-bencher. Mr W. C.. Wentworth, accused the Opposition Leader (Dr. H. V. Evatt) of “attempting to make good the Communist cause” in debate on the bill. Mr Wentworth rose on a ppint of order after Dr. Evatt had been speaking for about 15 minutes. He said: “I am wondering whether Dr. Evatt is quite correct in speaking on this bill, as some time ago he accepted money as an advocate of the Com-munist-controlled Waterside Workers’ Federation. His Communist paymaster now is sitting in this House beaming benign approval.” Mr James Healy, secretary of the Waterside Workers’ Federation, was sitting in the public gallery. Opposition members jeered and the Deputy Speaker (Mr Charles Adermann) ruled that. Dr, Evatt was in order and that the point of order did not apply. Dr. Evatt said that Mr. Wentworth’s charge that he worked for a paymaster of any description was completely false. The end of his denial was lost in a storm of shouting across the floor of the House.

In his speech, Dr. Evatt said that the bill was extremely partisan when treatment of shippping companies and unionists was contrasted. The debate was adjourned.