NO OVERTIME

Grey River Argus, 17 December 1943, Page 4

NO OVERTIME

WELLINGTON WHARVES Union's Decision P.A. WELLINGTON, Dec. 16. All work on the Wellington waterfront ceased at 5 p.m. to-day, following a decision by the Waterside Worktrs’ Union not to work after that hour in future, until (it is reliably stated) their claims for threehour minimum pay are agreed to by. the Waterside Control Commission and the ship-owners.

Before the Wellington watersiders’ decision last month to cease work at 9 p.m. on week days, as from December, instead of at 10 p.m., they received a minimum of , four hours’ pay when they came back at 6 p.m., whether the ship finished work a few minutes after the overtime period started, or whether work went on for the full four hours. By their decision to stop work at 9 p.m. nightly, against the authority of the Waterside Control Commission, the men themselves abrogated this clause in their agreement, and this month they have, when working overtime after 6 p.m., been paid only for the time mey have actually worked, whether .it has been for one, two or three hours. The men have objected to this, and have claimed a th'ree-hour minimum in place of the original four-hour minimum.

On several occasions this month, when they knew a ship had well under three hours’ work to finish at night, they have refused to accept overtime, and the vessel has been held up until the, following day. They went a stage further and notified the Waterfront Control authorities that they would not accept work after 5 p.m. This is said to be a breach of the agreement, which allows any man to refuse to accept overtime at any time if he has a good reason, but specifically forbids the Union to do so.

Eor two weeks, from December 1, when work stopped at 9 p.m. on weekdays, and at 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and there has been no meal hour work, the difference between the actual wages paid out to the Wellington waterside workers, and that which would have been paid out had they not shortened, their hours, has been about £4.000 each week.