"Explosive Situation At Ports"

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30769, 5 June 1965, Page 3

"Explosive Situation At Ports"

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. June 3. An explosive situation at New Zealand ports: it could blow up at any minute, an advocate of the Harbour Board Employees’ Union, Mr J. Gilder, told representatives of the union and the Harbours’ Association today after their meeting failed to reach a decision on a new award. Mr Gilder said the meeting today was the sixteenth in four series of meetings during which the parties had been unable to reach a settlement.

“All other unions affected on the waterfront have.

I reached, or are reaching, a satisfactory agreement within ' the framework of their award [with their employers to work the new hours,” he said. “The waterside workers being a casual union still retain certain conditions that are inherent in their employment, such as increases in wages and guarantee of payments, increased incentive bonus payments, and increased minimum payments and, in addition, they are being offered other fringe payments which bring them well up in the class of permanent employees,” said Mr Gilder. Mr Gilder said the ship tally clerks had been placed in a similar position and were in the process of obtaining benefits in keeping; with the terms of their employment. “We ask that we should be I similarly treated,” he said. “The foremen stevedores i

; have been able to reach a satisfactory agreement with their employers and in these negotiations a completely different atmosphere prevailed. “The harbour boards’ offer [ of nine-hour guaranteed wage, with the working of the tenth hour only when required and a £1 a week increase in wages is totally unacceptable to us. Tied in with their offer, the repressive package deal would cause us to accept the increase in pay and not compensate for the change of hours.” Mr Gilder said this would deny employees the right to negotiate for other sections of the award. “We have, in fact, been already 12 days in conciliation and have not been able to discuss one item because of this ‘package deal.’ “The union is aware of the need for a quicker turnround of shipping, as stated in the streamlining report, by the

Government and by the shipping companies.” “While we agree with the harbour boards that it would have been desirous for the present change of hours to have been discussed by all the parties concerned before the change was made, these hours have now become a fact with the other three unions on the waterfront. “We now have a report of the discussions between the producer boards and the Conference Lines in regard to any freight increases, and they are happy to relate that a further four-year agreement has been entered into with no increase—all this is in keeping with the streamlining, but at whose expense—not the harbour boards,” he said. Harbour Boards’ Association advocates told union advocates that the employers were not prepared to offer the 10-hour guaranteed day, now worked by watersiders. The meeting adjourned till Tuesday.