“Go-slow” Tactics Used By Port Watersiders In Loading Skins

Evening Star, Issue 26103, 17 May 1947, Page 6

“Go-slow” Tactics Used By Port Watersiders In Loading Skins

As a protest to emphasise alleged grievances, watersiders working one hold on the 10,000-ton s.s. Cornwall at Port Chalmers successfully adopted a “ go-slow ” policy for one day this week. In the 10 hours’ loading on the particular day, the gang concerned packed only 30 bales of sheepskins into the ship, against a normal average count of about 400 bales. On the other days of the week that this gang handled the bales of skins, a good performance was registered, while' the gang employed loading meat carcasses worked well throughout the ship’s stay at the port.

Two or three reasons are offered for the go-slow tactics employed last Tuesday. The day-to-day delays in the expected arrival of the ship, with the consequent alleged disruption to alternative employment opportunities for watersiders, is offered as one explanation. Discontinuity in the loading of the bales of skins, involving a stand-down day last Monday and thus having to load on Tuesday,' when the watersiders wanted to make the newly-arrived Port Hobart a preference ship, is quoted as a second reason. Loading Completed' Despite the poor figures returned by the woolskins gang last Tuesday, the loading of the bales was completed by Thursday night, while a few trucks of carcasses had still to be loaded yesterday morning. Tho Cornwall left on the noon tide yesterday for the United Kingdom. No information concerning “ go-slow ” tactics was available from the master of the ship or the agents in Dunedin. Waterside workers in southern ports have a pretty good name with overseas masters, it being common knowledge amongst shipping officers that the farther south the vessel goes in New Zealand the better are the discharging and loading performances Slower Turn Around As serious as the loading delays caused by waterside pin-pricking are the increasing costs and slower handling on the New Zealand coast. When the Cornwall sailed

yesterday she had been on the coast for more than three months, having arrived in Auckland from New York on February 9. Before the war the time of turn around was substantially less. Indeed,, based on the time taken to handle the Cornwall, the difference represents a full additional round trip a year. To keep a ship the size of the Cornwall tied up in port costs something about £3OO a day, and that item is only a minor charge in profit and loss account. The present cost of building a modern refrigerated cargo ship is at least twice what it was before the war, and higher wages, higheV costs for supplies of oil fuel, and all the other items which contribute to the running expenses mean a tremendous increase in operating costs. Most masters hesitate to complain about the turn around times in New Zealand, fearing retribution from watersiders, either against the ship or the company. The United Kingdom’s urgent need of food supplies has encouraged shipping companies to exert all their energies to serving the trade as it deserves, but existing conditions on the New Zealand coast have moved protests at the handicap. Reasonably Fair Comment When this report was referred to the secretary of the Port Chalmers branch of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union (Mr J. Bain) he said that it was “ reasonably fair comment.”