Auckland Watersiders Continue Campaign Against Mr McLagan

Grey River Argus, 20 May 1947, Page 5

Auckland Watersiders Continue Campaign Against Mr McLagan

P.A. AUCKLAND, May 19. The opinion that the actions of Hon. A. McLagan as Minister in the Labour Government, were not in keeping with a working class representative, was expressed by the Auckland Branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union in a resolution of “no confidence’’ in him. This decision was reached at a stopwork meeting which, in the same resolution, reaffirmed its previous decision of full support for the National Executive of the Union in any action taken to achieve satisfaction of its claims.

The National and Auckland president, Mr H. Barnes, stated, after the meeting, that Hon. Mr McLagan had been invited, by the branch to visit it and to show cause why a vote of “no confidence” should not be carried. The Minister had declined the invitation.

The meeting, which began at 1 p.m., lasted for two and a-half hours, and the membere heard a report from Mr Barnes on last week’s negotiations with Cabinet on the question of worker representation on the proposed new Commission to govern the waterfront industry in New Zealand. The shipping companies have complained at the fact that no indication was given until this morning that this meeting would be held. One representative said that these tactics were pin-pricking oner, the Union’s action coming like a bolt from the blue, in the same manner as its decision, on Saturday morning, not to work the ships that afternoon. The men employed on the Auckland waterfront returned to their ships after this morning’s meeting, but gangs engaged in discharging sugar from the Mountpark at Chelsea said that they would not return in the afternoon, as it was not considered worth while. The Mountpark men left Chelsea for Auckland by ferry at 10.20 a.m., after les-s than two hours’ work. They would, normally, have worked until 9 p.m. to-night. Before application had been made on Saturday morning for ships to be worked during the afternoon, the Union announced that no vessels would be worked later than noon. Four ships—the Ruahine, the Kaimiro, the Aranui, and the Tiri, were to be worked during the afternoon to finish and sail before 5 p.m., the only condition under which Saturday afternoon work is permitted, and work ceased on all of them at noon.

The agents for the Ruahine, which is discharging cargo from London, stated that two hours’ work would have completed her unloading, but rather than hold her in port over the week-end, they dispatched her on Saturday afternoon for Wellington, overcarrying some cargo. The crew of the collier Kaimiro refused to sail for Westport when her owners decided to send her with 15 or 20 tons of coal still remaining tn her hatches. A company official stated that in view of the extreme shortage cf coal it was decided to send the collier back to Westport with the small amount remaining, but that the crew would not sail until the discharge had been completed. The Kaimiro will sail to-morrow.

Saturday afternoon work is covered in an order issued by the Waterfront Control Commission in September, 1945. This states that applications for work to finish that afternoon must be made to the Waterfront Controller before 9.15 a.m. that day. It is understood that the subject was discussed by the Auckland Port Committee, which agreed that the provision of labour for ships to work :>n Saturday afternoon should be considered by a representative of the employers and one of the workers on the committee. The chairman would give a decision if a dispute arose between the two members.

Shipping company representatives expressed annoyance when the un'pn’s decision came without warning on Saturday morning, and stated that the ships concerned would have completed work and sailed by 5 p.m.

Mr Barnes said the principle of Saturday afternoon work was unaltered, but that the union considered it was being abused by shipping companies.

When asked whether the ships- involved on Saturday would have finished during the afternoon as the companies expected, Mr Barnes said that men working on the ships knew more about the cargo than those who “just looked down the hatches”.