BIG RISKS

Grey River Argus, 16 August 1944, Page 6

BIG RISKS

WATERSIDERS AND T.N.T.

PENALTY RATE DONATED FOR WAR EFFORT.

WELLINGTON, Aug. 15

In the course of a statement on a recent waterfront dispute in Wellington concerning the loading of a vessel with munitions, the secretarj' of the Wellington Waterside Workers’ Union, Mr E. A. Napier, said: “This dispute has a psychological genesis emanating from a series of fatal accidents, and an alarming increase in serious accidents, experienced on the waterfront recently, making this industry by far the most dangerous of any in New Zealand. On the arrival of the ship in question, it was discovered that T.N.T. was being loaded. The job delegate contacted the officials, and the penalty rate was claimed, with an addition of extra men in the trucks, to ensure careful handling. The matter proceeded through the constitutional channels, and the claim was disallowed, on the assumption that T.N.T. was not being loaded. The men handling the munitions were adamant in their statement that T.N.T. was being loaded; and, finally, they were given the extra labour for the truck work, and were guaranteed an extra two shillings per hour if it were established that munitions were being handled contained T.N.T. This was established, by a report from a munitions expert, and, though it modified the apparent danger, the men were of the opinion that the authorities concerned had been given ample time to produce a report. Before a guarantee had been given, the men were offered a shilling extra pel’ hour, but on principle, they refused, as, at this juncture, a decision had been reached to donate the full amount to the watersiders’ fund for overseas soldiers’ parcels.” “The principal of the extra rate is a penalty one, to draw attention to the danger involved and the extra cost and care in handling, and it must be borne in mind that this procedure is not peculiar to New Zealand waterside workers. The statement then gives instances of the charges for working ordinary freight as compared with munitions and adds: “Fully 65 per cent, of the Wellington watersiders are returned soldiers and the war record of the Union compares favourably with that of any other organisation.”

SLINGS TOO HEAVY AUCKLAND, Aug. 15. For nearly three years Auckland waterside workers have, under certain conditions, discharged slings containing about a ton of cargo from ships’ holds on to trailers, drawn by small 14 horsepower tractors. They are now refusing to make up slings of more than 12cwt. The men first took this action on a ship discharmnp wheal, on Mondav morning. Tractors and trailers were then dispensed with. Two extra men employed in the hold to make up the big slings were dismissed. The wheat was wheeled into sheds by hand trucks, on which the maximum load for two men is 12cwt. The ship worked to-dav without assistance of modern equipment.