Ship Officers’ Case In Present Dispute: Patience Tried

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 April 1947, Page 3

Ship Officers’ Case In Present Dispute: Patience Tried

[SPECIAL TO STARJ (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “We should like the public of New Zealand, after reading our case, to judge for themselves whether our patience has not been unduly tried,” said Captain W..R. Williams, New Zealand secretary of the Merchant Service Guild, commenting further on the decision of masters and officers to tender one month’s notice in protest against the terms of new awards governing pay and conditions issued by the Arbitration Court. “Opr award expired in 1942, but for. the sake of the continuity of the war effort we did not file a fresh claim while the war lasted,” said Captain Williams. “Our claims were first filed in the Arbitration Court early in 1946. When we met in the conciliation council we were generously offered a 48-hour week, although seamen, cooks and stewards had enjoyed a 44-hour week for some years.' Priority for Seamen “In spite of the very apparent urgency for the revision of this award; which is bristling with anomalies and is four years overdue for renewal, there has been no satisfactory decision from the Court of Arbitration, which heard our case over six months ago; and yet, when in December, 1946, the seamen, cooks and stewards approached the Court in conjunction with the shipowners and applied for a 40-hour week, their case was granted at 24 hours’ notice. It is now over 14 months since our claims were first filed. “There seems to be a widespread belief at the present time that employers and employees should cooperate more,” added Captain Williams. “We would be willing to do this if we had more evidence of sincerity. Mr Fraser and Mr Holland have told the country that New Zealand has ample machinery to deal with industrial disputes. Why is it that this machinery refuses to work? Judge’s Hands Tied “The Government appoints Judges to 'the Court of Arbitration. They should be free to judge on the evidence given in the Court alone, but this evidently is not the case. We find that the Judge’s hands are tied with a rope made by the Stabilisation Commission, a body of men appointed by the Government. “If stabilisation is responsible for holding up our award unnecessarily, then stabilisation must be better controlled or New Zealand will fast lose her merchant navy.”