Auckland Dockers Lose £30,000 Pay

Northern Advocate, 29 July 1949, Page 6

Auckland Dockers Lose £30,000 Pay

AUCKLAND, Fri. (P.A.).—Auckland watersiders have lost at least £30,000 in wages through the refusal of evening overtime. The decision will have been operating one month on Monday next. The irony of the situation is that, had they not so acted, they would still have been paid for a considerable part of the time without working. This is because they are entitled to a minimum of three hours at overtime rate if they are called back for evening work and rain interrupts operations. There has been a lot of unsettled weather in the past month. The loss of overtime for four, fiveday weeks has averaged £IIXIO daily. This, on a union membership basis, represents £6500 weekly, or £26,000 for the period. UP TO £4 WEEKLY There also has been a loss of about 4d an hour a man through bonus payments which would have accrued on the extra hours normally worked weekly. The men also might have'averaged 4d an hour additional through penal rates for handling special %'ases of cargo. These two factors might add £4OOO to the lost earnings. Some individual watersiders have lost £4 a week. MAILS NOT AFFECTED No inward mails have been affected by the Wellington wharf strike, said post office officials. All overseas mail which arrived in the Huntingdon from Liverpool had been discharged. An Australian mail in the liner Akaroa also had all been brought ashore. American mails in the freighter Ventura, which arrived yesterday, will be landed today. All local mails to and from the South Island had been loaded or discharged by ships’ crews or permanent hands, said the Union Steam Ship Company. Questions In Parliament

WELLINGTON, Fri. (P.A.)—ln the House of Representatives today Mr M. H. Oram (O—Manawatu) gave notice to ask the Minister of Labour what was the Government’s final policy on control of waterfront labour, whether by commission or otherwise. He also asked what arrangements had been made as to the payment of, or remuneration for, members of the authority and commission since its suspension by the Minister.