"GOOD MEN MISLED"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23860, 10 January 1941, Page 6

"GOOD MEN MISLED"

DISMISSED EMPLOYEES COMMENTS BY MINISTER SATISFIED WITH POSITION "1 am sorry that so many good men were misled, and I hope they will soon see the folly of taking such independent action, and join with the rest of their mates in industry again," said the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb, yesterday, when discussing the recent dismissal of 140 chamber-hands employed by the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company, Limited. The Minister expressed his satisfaction with the position as it now stood, and said he was satisfied that the vitally important work of handling produce for Britain would continue without further interrupt ion. "I expected this from unionists," the Minister said, in commenting upon the decision of Auckland watersiders to continue handling produce from the cool stores. "I do not expect them to support any body of men who have violated a principle of unionism. I am satisfied that the common sense of unionists makes them realise that spasmodic action of the type that occurred will only help to wreck their own organisation." Mr. Webb said it was unfortunate that the incident had occurred, as the great bulk of the cool-store workers were good men and hard workers. However, they had been hopelessly misled in a direction that no Government could afford to ignore. WATERSIDERS' UNIONNO UMAL OPERATIONS No action in sympathy with the dismissed cool-store workers will be taken by Auckland waterside workers until it is learned that the dismissed men will got the full support of the Auckland Freezing Workers and Related Trades' Union, according to a statement issued bv the Auckland Waterside Workers' Union yesterday. Work would go on normally, said Mr. J. Brien, the vicepresident of the union. Three waterside delegates who waited on the Freezing Workers' Union yesterday reported to the executive of the Waterside Workers' Union that their delegation was unsatisfactory. It is understood that the delegates were not received by the Freezing i Workers' Union.