Unions Declare Attitude To Cashin Quay Work

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30733, 24 April 1965, Page 1

Unions Declare Attitude To Cashin Quay Work

The trade union movement would not tolerate pools of labour in the Cashin quay transit shed, other than those endorsed by the Canterbury district council of the Federation of Labour, the council decided at its monthly meeting this week. The council considers that the Lyttelton watersiders are trained, are on hand, and should rightfully perform such work as floor-to-lorry handling in the new transit shed.

A copy of the council’s decisions has been sent to the national executive of the federation.

The introduction of the new steamer-express service at Lyttelton could cause 40 fewer watersiders to be required on this job, said the secretary of the Lyttelton Waterside Workers’ Union (Mr R. Fergus) yesterday. Port streamlining activities such as this, he said, were one of the most valid reasons for such work as floor-to-lorry i handling in the new transit shed at Cashin quay to be done by watersiders. “The coverage of this work in the sheds would help to offset reductions in the numbers of men to be engaged on the steamer-expresses,” said Mr Fergus. Mr Fergus was commenting on the unanimous decision of the district council to stand behind the transport unions involved, or likely to be involved, in the demarcation of workers to be employed on Cashin quay. The president of the council (Mr R. A. Hill) yesterday said that every union had made up its mind what jobs each union was to perform.

The council, he said, had decided that it was now up to the employers to make up their minds and meet the wishes of the persons who had to do the physical work. The council yesterday issued a statement, embracing resolutions adopted at its meeting this week on the division of work on Cashin quay. It said that the decisions, reached after two meetings of all unions involved, were:—

(1) All unloading, loading, stacking, etc., of cargoes from ship to shore, or vice versa, shall be watersiders’ work when performed manually.

(2) All cargoes into or out of sheds and other adjacent areas, except off-wharf stores, shall be watersiders’ work.

(3) All mechanical equipment owned or provided by the Lyttelton Harbour Board shall be board employees’ work.

(4) All work performed in both manual and mechanical forms in off-wharf stores owned by the board shall be performed by board workers. (5) All tallying performed on or about the wharves or sheds shall be performed by members of the Lyttelton Tally Clerks’ Union. (6) All supervision of watersiders where they are employed by shipping companies or their agents or others shall be performed by members of the Lyttelton Foremen Stevedores’ Union.

(7) Drivers will accept cargo at the tail of the truck only and deliver to the shed door only. This procedure has operated for many years at the railway sheds. The trade unions which agreed to these decisions were the Lyttelton Waterside Workers’ Union, the Foremen Stevedores’ Union, the Drivers’ Union, the Lyttelton Tally Clerks’ Union, the Canterbury branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, and the Lyttelton

Harbour Board Workers’ Union. The council called on all its affiliations to support the watersiders and associated unions.

The council also agreed that the coverage of Cashin quay work should be settled on a trade union basis within the framework of the movement itself.