UNION VICTORY

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 February 1947, Page 4

UNION VICTORY

WATERSIDERS DELIGHTED’ COMMENT BY MEMBER OF COMMISSION “GOVERNMENT CAPITULATES” (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. While he had learned unofficially the terms of the agreement between the Minister of Labour, Mr McLagan, and the Waterside Union executive, the information was still confidential and he was not at liberty to disclose it, said Mr K. A. Belford, employers’ representative on the Waterfront Industry Commission, to-day. It was sufficient to say, however, that the Waterside Union leaders were delighted with the outcome,

In Mr Belford’s opinion the terms of the settlement represented complete capitulation by the Government to the union and was just another instance, although probably, the most flagrant on record, of the jungle law that “might is right” in the present industrial set-up in this country. It was incredible to him, he added, that the decision of a commission set up by the Government and presided over by a Judge of the Supreme Court could be disregarded by a Minister of the Crown, who in secret conclave with the union representatives arrived at an agreement without any consultation with the commission or, as far as he knew, with, the employers. That the agreement might cost the employers or the community another £lOO,OOO or so a year, while the existing slackness and wastage of labour on the waterfront remained unchallenged, was perhaps beside the point, the vital factor being that here was a case decided by a Judge after hearing both sides, rejected by one of the litigants and re-judged and re-decided by the Minister after hearing only one side So far as he could see, the Minister had no power under the regulations to implement the agreement or cancel the Judge’s decision, Mr Belford said, and while he (Mr Belford) was a member of the commission—and he had no intention of resigning—he would not agree to the Minister’s agreement with the union being implemented by the commission. WESTPORT WORKERS LODGE PROTEST The seriousness of any stoppage of work in the harbour was fully realised by the employees, and every constitutional means would be used to keep the harbour working; but the workers were definite that they would not work the agreement in its present form, said a spokesman for the Marine Department’s employees at Westport after a stop-work meeting of the employees had been held this week to consider the decision of the Public Service Commission about the agreement for Marine Department employees. The employees protested against the commission’s “drastic and highhanded” methods of reducing the rates of wages after a complete agreement had been reached on all points by both the employees and the department’s representatives. Pending representations in a final appeal to the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser), the men decided to work as usual in the meantime.