‘TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE’

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 56, 29 November 1929, Page 13

‘TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE’

RECENT WATERSIDE WORKERS’ AWARD STRONG FEDERATION RESOLUTION By Telegraph.—Press Association. Greymoutb. November 28. The conference ot the New Zealand Watersiders’ Federation has concluded. The following resolutions were adopted :— . . . , (1) That this annual meeting oi delegates of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Federation, representing six thousand waterside workers throughout New Zealand, enters a most emphatic protest against the unjust basic wage awarded waterside workers by Mr. Justice Blair while acting as President of the Court of Arbitration. The wages data submitted to the Court by the feder. ation and employers of waterside labour clearly indicated that workers engaged in this industry were entitled to a substantial increase in wages, but it seems that the Judge and the employers representative on the Court completely ignored the wages data submitted both by the employers’ representative and by the workers’ representative. The conference also protests against the action of Mr. Justice Blair and the employers’ representative (Mr. Schmidt) in refusing to adopt the principle laid down by Mr. Justice Fraser in 1924 when fixing wages tor waterside workers. If this basis were adopted the Court Would have been compelled to award an increase m wages to the men engaged loading and discharging ships. It was only by violation of the principle laid down in 1924 that the waterside workers were robbed of an increase in wages which they wcie entitled to receive. Further, the delegates, after reading the memorandum of the Judge in the Court of Arbitration in reference to the basis of fixing wages and particularly the wages of waterside workers, are unanimously of opinion that the trade union movement of this country cannot any longer Have confidence in the Court of Arbitration. As jutsice has been denied the waterside workers by the Court we call upon the Government to institute immediately a special inquiry to investigate the hours worked and wages earned by waterside workers throughout the Dominion in order that these workers may obtain the rates of pay of which they have been unjustly deprived by the Court; (2) That this conference, after investigating fully the wages data submitted by the Waterside Workers’ Federation and the wages data i submitted by the employers of waterside labour, consider it theiis duty to inform the waterside workers throughout New Zealand that they are entitled to a substantial increase in the basic wage and that the refusal of the Court of Arbitration to grant this increase was a travesty of justice. We are of opinion that the unjust award given by the Court will create discontent in the industry for which the Court of Arbitration is solely responsible.