UNION BLAMES ENGINEERS FOR WAIKATO DISPUTE

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 March 1948, Page 3

UNION BLAMES ENGINEERS FOR WAIKATO DISPUTE

WELLINGTON, March 11.

The national president of the Workers’ Union (Mr W. Wallace) and the national secretary (Mr Carl Hair), in a statement issued tonight, said that engineers on the Waikato hydro-electric schemes who threatened to resign it Mr L. Clapham, secretary of the Mangakino branch and an alleged Communist, was not transferred, were in fact responsible for the stoppage of work, and that the engineers could restore harmony if they withdrew their ultimatum to the Government. Messrs Wallace and Hair said that at a conference between, the Minister of Works (Mr Semple) and officials of the union, a representative of the Professional Engineers' Association, who was invited by the Minister to be present, said that his associaton fully supported the Mangakino engineers who originated the dispute, and that if these engineers left the job no others would take their places. When asked if there were any charges against Mr Clapham to justify such action, continued Messrs Wallace and Hair, the engineers’ representative could prefer no charge on any ground. When asked if the attitude of the engineers was occasioned by Mr Clapham’s political views, the engineers' representative emphatically denied this. Further negotiations were entered into, but without success, said the union statement, and a secret ballot, was taken. Every man had ample opportunity to record his vote, and the poll resulted in a narrow but clear majority for a stoppage of work until Mr ClaphanTs transfer was cancelled. “It is admitted that Mr Clapham is a member of the Communist Party, but it must be pointed out that the vast majority of the men at Manga-kino-and the national officers of the union are ardent supporters of the Labour Party. Our members would take strike action only in extremely provocative circumstances and . after every means of negotiation have been exhausted.” The immediate past president Of

the Professional Engineers’ Association (Mr R. S. Maunder), in the absence of the president, was asked tonight what further action his association would take. He said that, if events made it necessary his association might, have something to say, but that it did not wish to be dragged into a press controversy.