Fewer watersiders in Australia

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32715, 18 September 1971, Page 3

Fewer watersiders in Australia

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 17. In seven years the number of watersiders in Australia had been reduced by about 10,000, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into containers was told today.

Containers were a major reason, although there were other contributing factors.

This was said in cross examination on a joinl submission prepared bj the Ministry of Trans' port and the Department of Labour. The submission said Aus tralian spokesmen had indi cated that eventually the waterside rates of pay anc conditions would apply to al workers associated with cargo handling. Some consolidators were now doubting the wisdom oi siting their depots away from the wharves to avoid high rates.

The New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Federation said that the New Zealand Railways had opposed watersiders working on off-wharf depots, yet at the same time was planning to extend the railways goods yard on to the wharf proper. The Wellington union had also claimed that cargo packed into containers for inter-island shipment by rail ferry was rightfully theirs. The matter had been referred to the Ministers of Labour and Railways, and had been put “on ice” indefinitely. Tlfe watersiders did not want to displace workers at present employed in consolidating areas. The federation submitted that an amalgamation of port unions would increase port efficiency, because the demarcation question would be removed. The federation’s president, Mr J. W. Milne, during crossexamination, admitted that watersiders were more concerned about whether their work would be diverted to other unions, than whether the over-all volume of work would decrease. Mr Milne said he could not say whether watersiders would be prepared to join the Storemen and Packers’ Union should redundancy arise on the waterfront. “If the situation arose there would have to be discussion with the employers,” he said. Mr Milne also agreed that' in the immediate future there seemed to be little indication that redundancy would occur. Mr Milne said the F.O.L.’s

right to rule on matters such as demarcation was conferred on it by the workers. The disputes officer for the Wellington watersiders, Mr S. P. Jennings, said the watersiders would place no restrictions on ACT Tasman traffic, as long as the Seamen’s Union and the Union Steam Ship Company reached some agreement. The commission, which comprises Mr L. C. Southwick (chairman), Mr A. H. Nordmeyer and Mr F. A. Reeves, will continue its inquiry in Auckland on September 27.