THE QUEENSLAND DISPUTE

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 141, 17 June 1919, Page 6

THE QUEENSLAND DISPUTE

STATEMENT BY UNION

SECRETARY.

In view of the fact that the seamen in Queensland decided recently to ignore the ballot on the question of whether they shouldLreturn to work and submit their claims to arbitration, and that the Victorian members, at a meet- ' ing the same day, adopted' a similar course of action, special interest {says Melbourne Age) attaches to the views expressed on 2nd Juno by Mr. C. Burke, secretary of the Brisbane branch, of the Federated Seamen's Union.

Mr. Burke said the arbitration award of December last did not give universal satisfaction. ; He made a statement in the Arbitration Court that he could not guarantee that the men would accept service at the prescribed niiiiimunJ rate. Immediately ' after the' award was delivered some of the vessels were hung up in Melbourne, notably the Loongana and tKe Dimboola. Subsequently,, the influenza epidemio having, broken out in New Zealand) the .seamen in Sydney hung up about eight or nine vessels trading to infected ports in New Zealand and the Islands, and were successful in having their demands conceded. They obtained an increase of 35s per month above the minimum rate preHcribed in the award; compensation of £500 in cases where iieainen contracted . the disease and died whilst in service; and a guarantee that the wages of, seamen contracting the disease would be paid whilst they were ill, and up to the time of their return to their home port. These benefits were conceded by the Union Steam Ship Company, and also by the A.U.S.N. Company with regard to the steamer Levnka, trading to Fiji Islands. Shortly afterwards influenza broke out in Victoria, and subsequently in New SouEh Wales. Seamen in Queensland made similar demands upon the shipowners of. inter-State vessels trading to •infected- ports. Those demands were not complied with. The only method of redress was by direct, action. The men promptly took this" 'course.

"When we were in the Arbitration Oourfc in December last;" he .said,' "one claim related to the insurance of seamen's effects, lost bjr shipwreck or other cause whilst on' service. "The Court held that it had no jurisdiction; at least, we ■understood that to be the case. As the Court, in our opinion,: had no jurisdiction in the matter of insurance of ei-. feots,'we naturally,considered it would have none on the question of a seaman's life. Mr. Justice Haggins,* in commenting on the matter at the recent compulsory conference. on 29th. May, stated that we. were labouring under_ a delusion, and that were the claims differently worded we conld have the whole of the matters in dispute dealt with by 1 the Court. As he could award for the loss of: a workman's tools, so also could he award for, the loss of effects of a seaman arising out of his employment. He could not say to a shipowner, ' sTou shall insure :.the..seamen's, effects,'.. or "' You shall insure a seaman's life'; but he could award in this way. 'You shall pay to the dependents, their next of kin, such an amount? . The delegates representing Queensland then stated that they had apparently been labouring under a misapprehfinisiaa, and that the refusal to "grant insurance of seamen's effects had misled them in reg*.td to other matters. We thought the knowledge of this might alter the men's opinions in Queensland if it were understood."

Another quarrel which the Queensland seamen had regarding the system of arbitration was that of having to go to the High Court to prove disputes which were apparent. Real grievances and their redress were thereby delayed.' The Queensland men, having' held up five ships for a period- of seventeen weeks, and the disease having broken out in. that State, met to consider their position, and decided to refuse to man any of the vessels in .those waters' until the "original demands "were §j£iited, and appealed to the other.States to grant them assistance. This : attitude had sir.cc been strictly adhered to by the Queensland seamen. The appeal to otter branches met with a response in Sydney and Melbourne, and the men ■ were out of work in these States' owing to the attitude taken up by the Queensland members. •:' ■

"Had the mcli's grievances been listened to at the outset," added Mr. Burke, "a prompt remedy might have been brought about, and the chaos which exists, and apparently will' continue to exist for some time, might have bedn averted. The employers and the Government treat the men as children* or chattels; This the men resent, and prior to resuming work wish to know where they stand and upon what terms they will have to resume work.' With regard to the position of Mr. Oasson and myself, who both represent Queensland, we have sent a report of the conference which we attended on 29th May to the branch, ,and should it deem that. we have blundered, or not expressed its desires clearly, we are quite prepared to be recalled and other delegates '.sent in our place to conduct the business: We have made the offer that we will either do this pr abide sby instructions ■ transmitted from the branch as to the better course to pursue."