IS IT JOB CONTROL?

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12323, 18 December 1925, Page 7

IS IT JOB CONTROL?

MANUKA AGAIN DELAYED UNION MEN WANTED BY FIREMEN NON-UNION MEN AVAILABLE Onoe again the Union Company's passenger steamer Manuka, which is in the Melbourne service,’ is delayed by the contrariness of her firemen. She was scheduled to leave Wellington at 11 o’clock last evening for Melbourne direct, but when the time came she was still short of a trimmer.

Twelve of the stokehold crew were signed-off yesterday, but only eleven were signed-on during the day. Every effort was made by the Union Company to secure another man. Al- - several men were available, yet the firemen refused to sail if one of them aigned-on, because they did not belong to the Seamen’s Union. One o$ the men who was willing to sail with the Manuka was one of the strikers off the Ruahine, and although he belonged to the English Union yet the Manuka’s men refused to sail with him. The action of the firemen on board appears to be a decided attempt at “job control.” According to their agreement if there are no union men available the company is at liberty to sign-an anybody who is qualified to do the job. Except at the Bluff the Manuka on this trip from Melbourne has been delayed by the firemen being absent at sailing time several hours at each port she has touched. Besides mails and cargo the Manuka

has at present on hoard over 200 passengers, some of whom wish to catch outgoing English ♦ steamers from Melbourne. The Manuka is now timed to leave Wellington at 11 a.m. to-dav for Melbourne.