THE PATE A STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 18 February 1911, Page 6

THE PATE A STRIKE

OVER. ■ , * CRISIS AVERTED. A CONFERENCE AND AN AGREEMENT. DISPUTE REFERRED TO ARBI- > TRATORS. The trouble in connection, with tho striko of ■ watersido workers at Patca assumed a critical aspect yesterday, and for a timo it seemed that tlio industrial crisis that has been foretold in somo quarters of la to might suddenly materialise. The deadlock at which tho companies concerned and tho Watersido Workers' Federation had arrived remained tho dominant feature of tho situation until tlio early part of last evening. In addition to this, a. preliminary step was taken by the federation, and tho Allied Seamen's Union in .tho direction of definite action. • Tho l'atea . Shipping Co.'s steamer if ana arrived in Wellington yesterday morning. Men of tho Wellington Wharf Labourers' Union were engaged by Harbour Board officials to work the vessel at tho wharf, but on being requested to conunerico cargo-shifting operations, declined' tho engagement. For tho timo being tho movo was effective. Tho cargo of tho Mana reiiiaincd aboard the vessel all day yesterday. Various attempts to effect a compromise, mado by Mr. R. Fletcher (chairman of the Harbour Board), and others, proved at tho timo unavailing; A fresh development occurred in the afternoon. Tho shipping articles of tho Mana expired yesterday, and at two o clock in tho afternoon her deck hands and firemen went ashore. They declined to sign fresh articles until mattors ill dispute between tho federation and.tho shipowners had been arranged and a.settlement effected. reraa i ne d in this position until 6.30 p.m. yesterday. At that hour a conference between. the contending parties was brought to an amicable termination, after a sitting that extended over, a period of seven hours. Tlio conferenco was attended by representatives of tho Shipowners' Federation, tho executive' officers of tho Waterside \\ orkers Federation, of .tho local "Wharf Labourers' Union, and of the Seamen's Union. 1

A s a result of tho confcrence, stated ~ * Jnckson (president of tlio Watersido Workers' federation), when ho was interviewed by a Dominion reporter last evening, it:had been agreed ,to refer to arbitration tlie question of overtime payment. This, Jlr.'Jackson added,' was tho sole question remaining in dispute. Preference-to unionists had been conceded to _ tho Patea Union by the employers'at a conference held some timo ago in Patea. - It was agreed that preference of employment to union members should bo granted on tho same lines as obtained at Lyttelton, where tho union is permitted to charge its members an entrance feo of ss. "Under tho basis of arbitration agreeif upon, .ono arbitrator will be appointed by tho.federation and another .by/tho These arbitrators wili'subsequently appoint a referee, and to this body of three members tho question .of overtime payment will be referred. In tho meantime "tho siege has .been raised." The watersiders wilj -return to work at Patea and other centres immediately.

It was. mentioned by Mr. .Jackson ithat the employers had guaranteed not to ; exerciso any discrimination against the men who had gone out on strikif.' Mr. W. T. Young (secretary of the Seamen's Union) informed the reporter that members of his union would ro.turn to work this morning. Mr. Jackson, who was to have left for the south last evening, was unable to get away, as* ho has to attend' a meeting of the federation executivo this morning, at which the arbitrator for the union is to. bo appointed.