Union Company Deck Officers To Strike

Press, Volume C, Issue 29557, 5 July 1961, Page 16

Union Company Deck Officers To Strike

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 4. From midnight on Friday all Union Steam Ship Company vessels in New Zealand ports will be strike-bound as a result of a decision made after a secret ballot by deck officers, except masters.

Announcing this today, Captain J. W. Dickinson, secretary of the New Zealand Merchant Service Guild, said this came after a dispute with the company over the lack of third officers on some ships belonging to the company.

The Minister of Labour, Mr Shand, had been informed of the position, the assistant Secretary of Labour, Mr H. Parsonage, said tonight. For a month the officers have refused to take to sea any ships which had no third officers, but ships have suffered little delay as the company has maintained a policy of transferring officers from ships in port to those ready to put to sea to keep up complements. The inter-island steamers will not be affected, but about 40 ships are expected to be involved. Guild’s Attitude

Captain Dickinson said the guild was ready to meet the company to discuss the position, but after a previous meeting the company had refused to meet the guild again unless both the ban and the strike action were called off. For the company, the industrial superintendent, Mr K. A. Belford, said tonight that the company was “extremely disappointed” that its deck officers had chosen the strike weapon to enforce their demands. Mr Belford said representatives of the guild had met the management about a fortnight ago when it was explained that the company found it impossible to conduct negotiations and conciliation with a threat of strike over its head.

“The company considered it had gone a long way to meet the officers’ grievances and the guild itself rejected an opportunity of having its claims dealt with by the Court of Arbitration on June 22. “It is still possible to get

a Court hearing about the middle of this month, but the guild’s decision appears to throw overboard the Arbitration Court method of settling disputes in favour of strike action.”

time the ballot of the officers, which took a month to circulate, had already begun.

Two vessels the Korowai and the Waimea which are due at Lyttelton on Friday, may be affected by the strike decision.

Mr Belford said there appeared to be no likelihood at present of a meeting between the company and the guild. “We can’t negotiate with an organisation that lays down its demands and says ‘settle or else’,” he said. Recruiting

Ships at present working in Australian or North American ports would not be affected until they reached New Zealand. A serious disruption to industry and services could be caused if a strike continued for any length of time. As the Union Company is the sole conveyors of coal from the West Coast to Wellington, users would have to rely on present stocks only—and in the middle of winter this could cause severe hardship both in domestic and commercial consumption. Rail as Alternative The alternative would be rail supplies from the north, but this would impose a further strain on waggons, which already are in short supply. The Wellington Gas Company today declined to give information op how its stock of coal was, and how many more days it would last. Hospitals would undoubtedly be given top priority, if coal should become short. Practically all the transTasman trade is carried on in Union Company vessels. Exports of pulp and paper from Tauranga would be at a standstill.

As fast as seamen were brought to New Zealand others seemed to decide to settle ashore, said Mr Belford, commenting on the fact that the coester, Korowai, had been held up in Wellington since Friday night because of the shortage of able seamen to man it. Mr Belford said the shortage of seamen was still acute. “Some sort of delay because of the shortage is almost a daily occurrence,” he said. “All the seamen who have been brought from Britain have been absorbed, but as fast as they are absorbed others go ashore.” said Mr Belford.

The Labour Department began recruiting seamen in Britain last year when the acute shortage became obvious. A number were flown out to try and meet the situation.

When June 22 was offered as a Court fixture the guild said it could not prepare its case in time. In the mean-

Imports of urgently-needed Australian raw materials would come to an end.