F.O.L. Called Into Wainui Dispute

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32145, 14 November 1969, Page 1

F.O.L. Called Into Wainui Dispute

(New Zealand Free* Aeeociationl

WELLINGTON, November 13. The Federation of Labour is to intervene in the Wainui dispute. A special national executive meeting has been called for noon tomorrow to hear a full report on the dispute from the president of the Seamen’s Union (Mr W. Martin), who is also a member of the F.O.L. executive.

A decision is then expected to be taken on how best to settle the dispute, now in its thirty-first day. The secretary of the F.O.L. (Mr J. Knox) said tonight that the F.O.L. was taking over the dispute because it had been requested to do so by two of its affiliated unions which had members affected.

The national council of the Seamen’s Union met in Auckland today; and Mr Martin said tonight that certain recommendations would be made to a meeting of his members tomorrow morning.

Mr Martin is expected to have talks in Auckland tomorrow morning with the Minister of Marine (Mr Scott) before returning to Wellington to attend the F.O.L. executive meeting. Mr Scott was tonight criticised by the Merchant Service Guild for not taking action on the procedure for engaging seamen—the cause of the current dispute.

The guild's secretary (Captain J. W. Dickinson) said that the Minister had been warned by the guild on several occasions that a major dispute might arise at any time over the unofficial roster system operated by the Seamen’s Union.

guild this morning members had pledged full support for the engineers* institute and resolved to take "firm action" if pressure was applied to the institute to cede ground beyond the recommendations of the committee of inquiry. The recommendations provided that neither the motorman refused employment on the Wainui nor the engineer who refused to engage him should sail on the current voyage of the ship.

Captain Dickinson said that at a general meeting of the