Employers’ Statement

Grey River Argus, 17 April 1947, Page 5

Employers’ Statement

WELLINGTON, April 16. ■ Mr James Cable, of William. Cable and Company, Ltd., contractors for repairs to the liner, said to-night that to get the job done and the. ship moved at the earliest possible opportunity, the waterside workers had been asked to work continuously on' a 24-hour basis with conse-. quent overtime payments. They weteiemployed for the removal of the oil tanks and No 3 tank top, also in) clearing up as preliminary to the boilermakers, and this would do. The.; watersiders work would have taken; probably another two days on a 24-; hour basis. The men, however, left the ship in the late afternoon, to; return, he presumed, tomorrow; morning. ‘ •'•They have apparently decided;, to work a 40-hour week, and to . prolong the agony of this Wangs-; nella affair,” said Mr Cable. “Theirjob will take more than twice as; long.” ; BOILERMAKERS’ ACTION' I Mr Cable said Mr P. E. Warner,., secretary of the Boilerbakers’ Union, had taken 11 members of his unionaway from their employment with.'. Cable and . Company for the ..last three days, the reason given' being; that tney were needed to " prepare, the union’s case in the current dis-; pute over wage rates on the Wanga--nella. So far there was no indica-. tion when these men would come; back to work. They had not so farbeen needed for the actual Wanganella job, but some could start there almost immediately. It seemed farcial, Mr Cable declared, for Mr. Warner to be telling the world) about the union’s eagerness to start work again. He had protested to Mr Warner that 11 men surely did not) need to have been taken away from ■ their work to prepare the union’s case, but ->Mr Warner insisted they. were required. Another development in --the; Wanganella dispute to-day was. an, announcement that the tribunal, ordered by the Minister of Labour; (Mr A. McLagan) under the Strikes and Lock Outs Emergency Regulations, is scheduled to sit at 10 o’clock; tomorrow morning, with Mr S.Ritchie, Conciliation Commissioner, presiding. HARBOUR EMPLOYEES' DISPUTE WELLINGTON, April 16. „ Protracted negotiations in Con-" ciliation Council have failed to achieve a settlement of the claims, of the. New Zealand Harbour Boards Employees' Union for a new award.The union officials report that thefirst steps for a new award were, taken nearly two years ago, but: Conciliation Council sittings • with the Harbour Boards’ representatives have been unsuccessful the r case will, therefore, go to the Court of Arbitration.