Port Of Wellington Idle Again Today

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30479, 29 June 1964, Page 1

Port Of Wellington Idle Again Today

New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, June 28.

The port of Wellington will be idle again tomorrow. Watersiders who expected to return to work tomorrow after the stoppage of Friday have been placed on penalty.

The president of the Wellington Waterside Workers’ Union (Mr W. L. Garbutt) said tonight that in the last seven months a constant stream of shipowners’ representatives had been visitors to New Zealand.

“The representatives, mostly from companies within the Cunard group, have been giving advice to all and sundry how to improve efficiency and speed turn-round of vessels,” Mr Garbutt said. “We believe that disputes, which are initially caused by employers’ actions, stem from the very obvious squeeze that has followed the visitors from Britain.”

Mr Garbutt said he expected normal work to resume on Tuesday after a special stopwork meeting at 8 a m. The deputy chairman and general secretary of the Port Employers’ Association (Mr

V. P. Blakeley) said it was quite wrong to say there was any organised coercion by shipowners. Last week’s strike was a clear breach of the conditions of work The workers took the law into their own hands. “Shipowners have been obliged to take the only action open to them to maintain discipline. The workers’ attitude in calling a further meeting for Tuesday is an indication of the contempt with which the union holds its responsibilities,” Mr Blakeley said. Tonight, 17 overseas ships and seven coasters are tied up at Wellington wharves. Five ships were due to sail on Saturday. Departure dates of others have been set back by three days. There have been no reports so far that the strike will spread to other New Zealand ports.