DISPUTES AT TWO PORTS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31167, 17 September 1966, Page 1

DISPUTES AT TWO PORTS

2000 Watersiders Face Dismissal (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 16. Two thousand waterside workers on strike at Wellington and Mount Maunganui are facing dismissal. The Port Employers’ Association said today it had no option but to take this action against the men who had gone on strike.

Wellington watersiders had stopped work over a dispute involving the loading of the 11,143-ton Shaw Savill freighter Carnatic.

The dispute at Mount Maunganui was over the working of steam winches aboard the Japanese vessel Kaisei Maru.

The two stoppages were not connected.

Dismissals of the men will come on Monday if after being allocated jobs they refuse to work the particular vessels in dispute. The Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) said he had been told of the dispute but had no comment to make. The inter-island ferry Wahine was not affected. Shipping at the two ports is at a standstill and employers said tonight they would not re-engage labour unti' workers gave a “clear undertaking” to resume the jobs which led to the stoppages Three Union Steam Ship Company vessels, three coasters and three overseas freighters—are idle.

I The Carnatic was due to .'sail tomorrow for England. : Disagreement arose three days ago when dock workers iwere told to load lamb carcases into a hold partly stacked with pallets of butter. The Watersiders’ Union claimed the job was dangerous and asked for extra pay. Mr F. A. Conlon, assistant general secretary of the Port Employers' Association, said tonight that a senior Marine Department official had inspected the job and ruled .that it was safe. The Port Conciliation Comimittee then told the men to I resume work pending a decision on the payment of I special rates for the job. The union rejected this direction and all gangs load-

ing the Carnatic stopped work. Labour was withdrawn from all ships in the harbour after a stop-work meeting this morning. Mr Conlon said the strike was “a complete denial of the undertakings given by all port unions and their members in the new conditions of work agreed as recently as November. 1965.”

The union had then “in exi change for very valuable I benefits” agreed to abide by conciliation and arbitration procedures. “It is inevitable that in any industry there will be differences between the parties, but these should be settled by the rule of law and not, as the union is seeking to establish in this case, by direct action," Mr Conlon said. Mr W. L. Garbutt, president of the Watersiders’ Union, said the trouble at Wellington “was caused by the employers introducing a new method of work without consultation.” Not Acceptable Pallets of butter had been stacked leaving only 3ft lOih to sft headroom in the hqld, he said. “Men were then requested to work in this space carrying cartons of frozen meat. This is not normal work, and creates considerable hazards, which are not acceptable. “The employers recognised this, and told the union the affected area would not be used for cargo storage. “Then they made a further approach for negotiations but these had not been concluded when the employers stated their terms were 2s 6d an hour special rate, and that was all they were prepared to discuss.” Ships Diverted Tauranga watersiders today decided to continue their stoppage until their demands for two men to operate the winches in Japanese timber ships were met. Four ships have been diverted from Tauranga because of the waterfront strike.

The Union Steam Ship Company has cancelled the Katea, the Ngahere and the Karetu. The Waiana, due yesterday to load newsprint for South Island ports, is being held in Auckland.

The British Phosphate Commission has diverted the bulkphosphate carrier Nidar to Napier.