Associated Chambers On Turn-round Of Shipping

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30294, 21 November 1963, Page 14

Associated Chambers On Turn-round Of Shipping

Some of the answers to thej problem of shipping turnround would fall into place on the introduction of a method of payment that rewarded diligent and synchonised work, says the latest issue of “New Zealand Commerce,” the official journal of the Associated Chambers of Commerce. The article contains a series of submissions that associated chambers would make to the Producer. Boards' Shipping Utilisation ■ Committee, to help secure, an improved turnround of, overseas shipping. The committee had invited the Associated Chambers to make representations. The journal said the Associated Chambers had no basic objection to the use of shift work on the waterfront But it reserved its final judgment on shift work on the waterfront until there was a definite proposal put forward by the shipping companies. A point in the article, made by Associated Chambers. was that night shift should be paid for not at overtime rates but at shift rates.

"We do not feel that work undertaken from. say. 5 pun. to 11 pm., is worthy of overtime rates, and we fear for the effect that such overtime payments on the water-f-->nt would have on other shift work.” said the journal.

Associated Chambers would incline more to shift work if it felt that overall handling

expenses would not be increased. the journal said. On the question of incentive payments, associated chambers would recommend that more emphasis be placed on individual gang effort and on work actually done, rather than time saved.

Associated Chambers suggested that labour allocation committees be set up to ensure that the distribution of available labour between ships is in the interests of the working of the whole port It felt there should be greater flexibility permitted in the number of men to be employed in a gang. The organisation would suggest that the responsibility for the turn-round of overseas shipping belonged to the shipping companies themselves It was only now. when the situation had become untenable and New Zealand was putting up a stiff resistance to any further freight rate increases, that an attempt was being made to stem the tide, said the journal. Associated Chambers felt there was an urgent necessity for a survey to be made of port equipment throughout New Zealand by a competent authority, in order to determine to what extent, if any. New Zealand ports were lacking in modern equipment

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