LATE NEWS WANGANELLA “BLACK”

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 February 1947, Page 7

LATE NEWS WANGANELLA “BLACK”

EVENTS LEADING UP TO UNION ACTION (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Wanganella was declared “black” this afternoon in-sym-pathy with the seamen’s claims and in an attempt to force the negotiations on the matter in dispute. Representatives of the unions concerned in the work on the Wanganella met this morning, together with the federal secretary of the Australian Seamen’s Union, Mr. Elliott, and later informed Captain McDonald and Mr. D. E. Eadie, who are supervising the work on the ship, that work would stop this afternoon and that a stop-work meeting of the men on the job would be held to consider continuing their refusal to work until the claims were settled. Mr. Elliott said to-day that he had attempted to negotiate with the officials in charge regarding the seamen’s pay claims and, after an abortive meeting on Monday, it was agreed to confer further’ yesterday morning. He said the officials had agreed to meet him at 9.30 to-day, but later informed him that they refused to meet him and maintained their refusal as late as this afternoon. Mr. Eadie said he had received a telephone message al 1.45 from a man he understood “was a Mr. Hill,” who asked if he could attend the meeting with the union representatives at 2 p.m. He replied in the negative saying that he would need instructions from Australia.