WATERFRONT DISPUTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 9, 8 December 1937, Page 8

WATERFRONT DISPUTES.

With the inception of the bureau system of engaging waterside labour it Was hoped that the end had been reached of irritating and costly disputes leading to marked delay in handling inward and outward cargo. That, however, has not proved to be the case, and serious trouble has again taken . place at Auckland, though a settlement has now been reached. Men were engaged for a vessel late in the afternoon of last Thursday, but after accepting their discs—which implies their engagement—they held an unauthorised meeting and refused to commence work until the following morning. Holding that such contempt of the rules could not be tolerated', the owners made the ship in question a preference ship, which means that until it ,is worked employment cannot be accepted for other vessels, quite a number of which have since arrived in port and remained idle. Some of these have schedules to maintain in the conveyance of mails and passengers and the delay has been most irksome. But the employers affirm that they had to take action against an unconstitutional measure of what, they believe, ‘'is a small section of the Waterside Workers’ Union.” The hold-up has had the further serious consequence of delaying the shipment overseas of primary produce, affecting farmers and dairy companies, and possibly causing much loss by cargoes not reaching London in time to participate in present prices which may not hold long after the Christmas season is over. Internal trade also suffers when shipping becomes dislocated, and harbour costs mount up. In Wellington last week another irritating delay involved the question whether six or eight bags of wheat should be unloaded in each sling from a vessel being worked. One gang refused to raise more than six at a time, was discharged, and then the remainder of the men ceased work. It was tactics such as these that led to severe comment from country members of the Wellington Harbour Board at a recent meeting regarding the manner in which ships were worked. The Government recognised the seriousness of the position at Auckland by appointing a Cabinet sub-committee to deal with it, and strong measures should be taken to see that in the future the present _ system of employment is maintained without the rules being broken at will by the union or a part of it.