Coastal Ship Delayed, Dockers Work Collier
AN unexpected turn of events on the Whangarei waterfront has provided a temporary solution to the problem created by the decision of the Whangarei Waterside Workers’ Union to work a 44-hour week with no overtime. If the coastal vessel Ranginui had maintained her schedule and arrived at Whangarei this morning, the watersiders would have worked her, leaving the 2562-ton collier Kaimiro half empty and idle at Portland. The Ranginui, however, was delayed for some reason at Auckland, and the remainder of the Kaimiro’s shipment of 1250 tons of coal will be discharged today, enabling the ship to clear Portland tonight.
The watersiders assembled at the Town Wharf this morning and went to Portland by bus to continue where they left off yesterday. In a telephone interview this morning, their president (Mr F. Hill) said he' thought the collier Would be emptied today, enabling her to sail this evening. WILL NOT FOLLOW OTHERS Asked if the Whangarei watersiders were likely to follow the lead of the Tokomaru' Lay and Whakatane unions, which had successfully applied for reinstatement of commission control, Mr Hill said the Whangarei union had no intention of adopting this course. It is believed that the Ranginui will now sail from Auckland on Sunday night, ready for an 8 a.m. start at Whangarei on Monday.
On Tuesday another collier is expected to berth at Portland.
The watersiders will work this vessel on the Tuesday, and if they continue their present policy they will probably leave her idle on Wednesday if the Ranginui .maintains her thrice-weekly schedule and is at Whangarei on that day. There appears to be no likelihood of non-union labour being engaged at Whangarei while the present situation continues. » Under commission control the watersiders would have been liable to a three-day penalty if they had failed to work a ship right through, but this peVialty does not apply since commission control has been suspended.
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Bibliographic details
Northern Advocate, 5 August 1949, Page 5
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323Coastal Ship Delayed, Dockers Work Collier Northern Advocate, 5 August 1949, Page 5
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