NO HOLIDAY WORK.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 97, 23 March 1940, Page 6

NO HOLIDAY WORK.

AUCKLAND WATERFRONT. LONG-STANDING DISPUTE. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Alareh 22. As no settlement has been reached alter more than a year of dispute between the shipowners and ihe Auckland branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union on the question of work on. holidays, no action is being taken by tile union in response to a request to handle cargoes on three overseas ships on Easter Monday. The ships, aggregating more than 34.000 tons, comprise two with cargoes from Britain and one to load produce Homeward. Alter a request from the Shipowners’ Federation that the three vessels should he worked, the controller of the waterfront at Auckland (Air It. E. Price) called a meeting of both parties on his return from Wellington on Thursday. No action was taken by the meeting. Explaining his position in a statement issued after the conference, Air Price said application was made to him hv the federation at Wellington on Wednesday. As current awards provided that any work on holidays must ho by arrangement between the union and the employers concerned, and as the regulations administered by the controller did not confer upon him powers to alter or vary an award in anv way, Air Price said, he had no jurisdiction to demand that the men should work on Easter Alonday. “However.” continued tho controller. “I called a. meeting of tho parties to discuss tho position, and learned from that meeting that holiday work was the subject of a long-standing dispute. which had been referred to the. national dismites committee a long time ago. No decision has yet been given. In the circumstances. I am unable to enforce Easter Alonday work on tho tlmee vessels.” A representative of the employers stated that till the end of 193 S tho men of the Auckland union gave good co-oporation in workin* 7 op holidays, nay being on a double-time basis. During tho holiday at the end of that year non-unionists were gyen work after union labour had declined. Tliv dispute had then arisen and had not yet been settled. •