EQUAL REPRESENTATION WITH GOVERNMENT IS WATERSIDERS’ DEMAND

Evening Star, Issue 26103, 17 May 1947, Page 8

EQUAL REPRESENTATION WITH GOVERNMENT IS WATERSIDERS’ DEMAND

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, May 17. The Government stands for Government control of industry, exercised through a commission. It will not in any circumstances agree to worker control of any industry in New Zealand. This, according to the national president of the Waterside Workers’ Union, Mr H. Barnes, is what the Pnme Minister’ told representatives of the union on Thursday before the meeting of Cabinet. Mr Barnes denied that the union demanded the removal of Mr McLagan as Minister of Labour. “On the contrary,” Mr Barnes said, “ Mr McLagan offered to resign before our representatives and the Cabinet.” Mr Barnes said that after protracted negotiations with the Minister of Labour on the question of workers’ representation on the proposed new commission to control the waterfront industry, which culminated in the meeting with Cabinet on Thursday, the union has now advised the Government that the least degree of representation on the commission consistent with the all-in contracting proposed by the Government, which would be acceptable to the union was equal representation with the Government. “If the Government cannot meet us along these lines, we will recommend our members that we fix our rates of pay and conditions of work by direct negotiation with the shipping companies.”