WATERSIDE HOLD-UPS

Evening Star, Issue 22873, 3 February 1938, Page 3

WATERSIDE HOLD-UPS

UNION REPUDIATES RESPONSIBILITY EMPLOYERS BLAMED FOR DELAYS [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, February 2. Mr J. 0. Johnson* secretary of the Wellington branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union, in a letter to the ‘Evening Post,’ says that the union has decided that an official reply should be given to the statements regarding the dispute on the Port Campbell and the charge that waterside workers were responsible for the damage to the fruit discharged from the Rangatira on January 26. Mr Johnson says the trouble in both cases was due to the action of tho employers. Referring to the Port Campbell case, Mr Johnson says that, when the order was given to work the tea hour at No. 1 hatch,, some of the men had told ,the employer early in the day that they would be unable to do so for reasons which they gave, thus giving the employer an opportunity to procure substitutes in accordance with custom. No attempt was made to obtain substitutes. All the men in the gang had accepted the orders to resume work at 6 p.m. and continue until midnight if required to finish the loading of the vessel. This applied to every man employed on the ship. When some of the men at No. 1 hatch declined to work through the meal hour, the foreman “ sacked ” the whole gang. Mr Johnson contends that the employers could have tried to get substitutes for the men who were not prepared to work the tea hour, or else send the ihen to tea and bring them back at 6 o’clock, in which case there would have been no interruption. Referring to tho Rangatira’s fruit, Mr Johnson says if there was a danger of the fruit deteriorating in the ship’s hold if it were not put out on January 24 (a soaking wet day), why did not the employers ask the union officials for assistance in getting it discharged ? Tho officers of the. union were not told anything about tho fruit until January 27, when the Port Campbell case was under discussion. It was then stated that the fruit had been put out by tho company’s permanent hands on the previous day, which -was the waterside picnic day, and tho fruit was simply running out of the cases. “ We state unhesitatingly,” says Mr Johnson, “ that had tho officers of the union been approachd and told the fruit was in danger of going bad it would have been put out, tho rain notwithstanding. There had not been a case in the last 20 years at least where our men refused to assist when, ships or cargo wore in danger. They have risked their lives and gone below when ships have been on fire and have never hesitated to respond to calls when vessels have gone on the rocks or been in danger of sinking.”