WATERFRONT IDLE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 121, 17 February 1944, Page 4

WATERFRONT IDLE

Complete Stoppage Yesterday WELLINGTON DISPUTE SPREADS The dispute on the Wellington waterfront which led to the stoppage of work on an overseas ship on Monday afternoon and kept her idle on. Tuesday, developed yesterday into a hold-up of all shipping in port, and no cargo was handled by the waterside workers. Yesterday morning the Waterside Workers’ Union held a stop-work meeting which lasted till after 11 a.m. It was decided to cease all work on the waterfront, tout to offer for employment at 1 p.m., conditional on the reinstatement of the men concerned in the original dispute. The men were not reinstated, and. as a consequence the wharves remained idle for the whole of yesterday. It is understood that the watersiders intend to hold another stop-work meeting this morning The crews of the interisland passenser steamers in port handled perishable 4 goods such as fruit and vegetables, aud also passengers’ luggage and mails, out no other cargo was handled. It is understood that the trouble aros« over the engagement last week ot thru* adidtional men in a gang on the ship concerned to handle a special type of cargo. The handling of this cargo was completed on Sunday, and °. n ~ dav the extra men were ordered by their employers, the Wellington Harbour Board, to do other work. The men re-y fused to obey this order claiming that they had been engaged ouly for a particular job. Thev were then, itis understooa, told that they would not be dismissed, but would not be paid for any time that they remained with the gang after the special cargo for which they were engaged was finished. The union thereupon stated that if the men were not reinstated work would cease at 3 p.m. on Monday, and since that time the ship haa been idle. , , , . An official of the harbour board said yesterday that he had no comment to make as the matter had been taken out of their hands, the Government having taken over through the Waterfront Control Commission. . . Captain 11. E. Price, Commissioner of Waterfront Control, also had no comment to make beyond saying that tollowing on a stop-work meeting the men had all gone home and the wharves naff been idle all day. z

GAS POSITION SERIOUS The Wellington Gas Company report! that its stocks of coal are very low, and that with the. present hold-up on the waterfront the position has become more serious. Consumers, accordingly, are re* quested to economize in .the use ot ga& to prevent a complete failure of supply. DUNEDIN COAL SHORTAGE <By Telegraph.—Press Association * DUNEDIN, February 16. The problem of securing coal tor the Dunedin gasworks reached a climax tonight when the limited supply of New Zealand coal which had been available at the works for the past few weeks was exhausted. Commencing tomorrow, it will be necessary to draw on a small reserve of Newcastle coal helej at the works, -th® position should be eased to some extent by the anticipated arrival of 100 tons of New Zealand coal before the weekend. ,

AUCKLAND DISPUTE Men Maintain Previous Attitude (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, February 16. A meeting of the Auckland Waterside Workers’ Union was held this mormng to discuss the gangway dispute. A resolution was carried reamrmui a the men’s past attitude and declaring their willingness to wotk all the shjps in port except the one over which the dispute had arisen. The men would work this ship also if the gangway was rigged to comply with the harbour regulations. Mr H. Barnes, the union, president, said that strong qrotests were voiced at rfie attitude of the Waterfront Control Commission in tying up the shipping in. port and refusing to allow the waterside workers to proceed with urgent cargo work. He stated that there was a modification of the commission’s attitude today when engagement boards were displayed for small coastal ships and W men commenced work, no men being engaged for the larger ships. Mr. Barnes said that the Minister or (Labour, Mr. Webb, should have instructed the commission to work all the ships in port except the one concerned in the dispute, and should have taken steps to see that this ship’s gangway was rigged in accordance with the harbour regnlations. It would then have been worked. The commission was the Minister s baby and Mr. Webb appeared to be adopting the attitude of blindly supporting it. A deputation from the union later waited on the commission and informed Captain Stanich, controller, that the union, considered that the work of the port should be resumed at 8 A.m. tomorrow, and union members would report ready for work on, all ships then. Captain (Stanich was told that if the ships were not manned tomorrow he must accept sole responsibility for the port being idle, lie was also informed that the gangway under dispute must be rigged as the regulations required. Captain Stanich replied that he would consult Wellington.