AUSTRALIAN WATERFRONT

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28435, 15 November 1957, Page 15

AUSTRALIAN WATERFRONT

Minister Alleges Disruption Move

(Rec. 10 p.m.) CANBERRA. November 14. Charges that Communist leaders of the Waterside Workers’ Federation had launched a new campaign to disrupt work at ports throughout Australia were made in the House of Representatives today by the Minister of Labour, Mr Harold Holt. Against a background of Labour Opposition interjection, Mr Holt said that a period of stability had prevailed on the waterfront when the secretary of the federation, Mr J. Healy, was overseas. Mr Healy was well known to be a member of the central executive of the Communist Party in Australia, Mr Holt said. As soon as he returned a new wave of friction had begun at Australian ports. Mr Holt, answering a question by a Liberal member, Mr Roger Dean, said he did not believe it was mere coincidence that renewed threats of a national waterfront stoppage had occurred immediately after Mr Healy’s return. “Steady Work’’ Period In the nine months of this year, during which Mr Healy was overseas, there had been a period, almost without precedent, of stable, steady work at Australian ports. The number of man days lost through industrial stoppages on the waterfront during Mr Healy’s absence was almost exactly onetenth the number lost in the corresponding period of the preceding year when he was in Australia—47.ooo compared with 458.000 last year, Mr Holt said. Now that he was back, an attempt was clearly being made to tie up all ports in a nation-wide stoppage. Mr Holt said that the attempt was based on the fact that a waterside worker had been disciplined for working offences. Mr Holt said that the man concerned was named Kresti, who came to Australia as a migrant from Jugoslavia in 1949. Mr Holt said that his record since arrival in Australia showed

that he was one of Australia’s least desirable imports. Mr Holt gave details of a series of actions taken against Kresti for drunkenness, larceny, assault and offensive conduct.

He said that every Australian waterside worker should know the background before he ceased to work on Kresti’s behalf.