Withdrawal Of Ban On Monday Predicted

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32164, 6 December 1969, Page 1

Withdrawal Of Ban On Monday Predicted

The dispute between the waterside workers’ unions at Wellington and Lyttelton and the Storemen and Packers’ Union should be resolved on Monday, the Press Association reported from Wellington last night.

A meeting of the national executive of the Waterside Workers’ Federation on Monday morning is expected to call off the ban on the handling of containers packed or unpacked off the waterfront.

This is a result of a decision yesterday by the storemen and packers to ask the employers and the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr S. Armstrong) to agree to “put on ice” until December 17 an agreement reached in conciliation council this week. The agreement covers the packing and unpacking of containers outside the waterfront, and the watersiders have claimed that this contravenes a decision of the F.O.L. The storemen have argued that the agreement specifically excludes work traditionally done by watersiders.

The Federation of Labour has called a meeting in Wellington for December 17 of all unions involved in the container dispute. Its president, Mr T. E. Skinner, said yesterday that there was a conflict of interest between the Storemen and Packers’ Union and the Waterside Workers’ Union..

Mr Skinner said a meeting had already been held to decide the lines of demarcation, and a sub-committee had been appointed to investigate the matter. Meantime, it was agreed by all parties that work traditionally done by the unions before the meeting should continue until the investigation had been completed. It was also agreed that any work normally done by a union should not be changed because of changed methods of handling. The new phase of the Storemen and Packers’ Union’s award had tended to abrogate the decision. The Storemen and Packers’ Union had offered to put the proposed award “on ice” in an attempt to get cargoes working out of Wellington, the secretary of the union, Mr P. J. Mansor, said yesterday afternoon.

The packers’ proposal has been put to the waterfront unions concerned by the F.O.L. secretary (Mr W. J. Knox), who is awaiting replies. Mr Mansor said this offer did not mean the union was giving ground on basic principles. “We hold that work traditionally done by unions should be retained by those unions,” Mr Mansor said.

Thousands of tons of cargo, including drugs needed for

hospitals, is being delayed' in both islands by the ban. The shipment of goods between Lyttelton and Wellington, which normally amounts to 2900 tons a week, has been brought to a standstill

Finns which pack and unpack the containers have informed shippers and manufacturers that they can no longer accept cargo.