900 Engineers May Walk Off 100 Skips

Northern Advocate, 27 September 1947, Page 5

900 Engineers May Walk Off 100 Skips

(11.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The marine engineers’ dispute, now in its seventh month, seems certain to culminate next week in a wide paralysis of shipping movements along the Australian coast, says the Sydney Morning Herald’s Melbourne correspondent. Failing a last-minute settlement move, about 900 engineers next Wednesday will walk off more than 100 vessels in Australian ports.

Anticipating this, most companies will arrange for their vessels to tie up in their home ports as from Monday. Oversea shipping will not be affected.

Opposing the stoppage, the Australasian Council of Trade Unions has instructed unions to assist in manning ships.

The owner*, however, are unlikely to use unqualified engineers.

HOW IT BEGAN The dispute began in Sydney aboard the Corio.

Just over six months ago the chief engineer of the Corio dismissed a fireman who appealed to the Maritime Industry Commission which ordered his reinstatement. ' The engineers then refused to take the ship to sea with the fireman aboard.

They were logged by the captain and the commission then suspended the Corio’s four engineers. The Marine and Power Engineers’ Institute has since waged a long fight for their suspension to be lifted and the loggings rescinded, cancelling the bad discharges received by them.

It has also demanded the removal of the fireman before the Corio’s departure from Sydney. In protest against the refusal of this demand, 900 engineers of the institute on September 1 gave one month's notice of resignation from their emplayment in interstate ships.