Wharf Dispute "A Farce”

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31383, 31 May 1967, Page 1

Wharf Dispute " A Farce”

(N.Z. Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 30.

The butter-loading dispute on the Wellington waterfront was “just another refusal by the Wellington Amalgamated Waterside Workers’ Union to co-operate in any moves to improve the turn-round of shipping through the port,” the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) said today.

“To give way to their claims would be to reintroduce the chaos to which we became accustomed in 1951," he said.

“In the present dispute there can be no question of by-passing the arbitrational procedures. “1 will not meet the Wellington union while they are on strike in this case.”

Eight waterside workers were dismissed yesterday and another four this morning when they refused to handle a tray loaded with two pallets of butter for demonstration purposes. The butter was being loaded in the Haurakl. The men had contended that it was unsafe to load two pallets at a time. "The watenidars have said

that if a larger sling load of palleted cargo is required it should be built into the load and secured to the pallet," said the secretary of the union (Mr G. Tuau). Mr Tuau said this method was accepted by both sides of the industry and had been found reasonably safe. “The employers are attempting to induce watersiders to sacrifice the principle of safe working for expediency,” he said.

Mr Shand said a two-pallet load had not been used in Wellington until the demonstration, but had been used in Nelson two years. He said the new pallet was demonstrated to union officials before the Hauraki berthed at Wellington. Since then the union had refused to attend meetings of the Port Conciliation Committee.

“For my part I am trying to say as bluntly as I can to the-waterside workers at the port of Wellington that unless they mend their ways and show some real co-operation in the effort to reduce the cost of shipping our produce to its markets, they are going to find themselves isolated.

“They may as well know now that hot only the Government but also the people of New Zealand are not in a mood to allow this farce to continue.”

Mr Shand said the Molyneux report recommended that the port of Wellington be considered one of the two container ports in New Zealand. “The attitude of the union and the standard of work in the port of Wellington are

so poor that unless they can be drastically improved it is much more likely that cargo from this area will be directed away to some district where a better standard of work can be obtained." Each pallet contains 40 cartons.

Previously, pallets have been secured on each of the four corners by wire ropes. The experimental load was secured on the four corners, but union members-Said the sides could spread and the cartons fall out if the hatch coaming was hit during loading.

This afternoon Mr Shand saw a demonstration in which the tray loaded with two pallets was lifted off the wharf by employees of the New Zealand Shipping Company. No butter was loaded today and about 20 waterside workers, Including the four wharfmen, were out of work as a result The union executive will meet tomorrow morning, and it is expected to decide whether to hold a stop-work meeting. If one is held, it will probably be on Thursday morning.