WATERSIDE WORKERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18141, 12 January 1921, Page 5

WATERSIDE WORKERS

STOP-WORK MEETINGS. NOVEMBER BONUS DISCUSSED. EMPLOYERS’ NEW OFFER. (Peb United Press Association.) AUCKLAND. January 11. A stop-work meeting of the Auckland Union was held this morning to consider an offer made by the employers in the dominion generally to the delegates of the unions on the subject of the November cost of living- bonus, when the Arbitration Court gave its decision of 3s a week, which works out at id per hour. The Waterside Federation, which is not registered under the Arbitration Act, made a demand for a similar bonus, which was considered by the delegates of the waterside -workers and of the employers concerned. The conference resulted in an offer being made by the employers, which was submitted by their delegates to stop-work meetings of the waterside workers in every port of the dominion this morning. The Auckland meeting was attended by between 1000 and 1200 members, and the discussion lasted for four hours, without much Idea being given of the general feeling of members on the subject. The question will bo balloted on to-day and to-morrow, and the result of the ballot will be forwarded to the central executive at Wellington, where the acceptance of the offer will defend on the vote from all parts of the dominion. Officials of the vnion decline to state outside their own circles what amount the offer is, but from unofficial sources it hae been reliably ascertained that the waterside workers are voting on the question of whether or not they will accept a bonus of a penny per hour. BALLOT AT NEW PLYMOUTH. OFFER REJECTED. \ (Per United Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, January 11. The waterside workers’ stop-work meeting at New Plymouth was held at 8 o’clock this morning, and was attended by 69 members of the local branch of the Waterside Workers’ Federation. The subject discussed was the new offer of one penny an hour bonus m place of the original |d offer. A ballot was taken, and, though no figures were disclosed, it is understood that . the offer was rejected practically unanimously. Meeting in Wellington. WELLINGTON, January 11. Though the Transport Workers’ Federation and the Federated Seamen’s Union are affiliated with the Alliance of Labour, it seems that the component parts of the Transport Workers’ Federation were not consulted before this step was taken. At the “stop-work” meeting of, the Seamen’s Union to-day it was reported that the plebiscite vote of the members would be taken on the question of affiliation with the alliance. Tho offer of a bonus of 3s per week made by the employers of waterside Labour to the Waterside Workers’ Federation will be submitted to a ballot. LENGTHY MEETING AT DUNEDIN. All work on the local waterfront was suspended yesterday on account of the waterside workers’ monthly stop-work meeting, which on this occasion proved to be an unusually prolonged one. Tho meeting began shortly after 8 o’clock in the morning, and the men were addressed by Mr James Roberts, of Wellington, one of the executive officers of the Waterside Workers’ Federation. The proceedings were naturally of a private nature. The steamers affected by this delay are the Orari, Volsella, Tamon Maru 12, Cosmos, Kini, and Wanaka. The Wanaka, which reached here at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, brought sugar and other cargo from Auckland, but eagerly as the sugar is awaited no beginning was made with the handling of it yesterday. At 6 p.m., however, a certain amount of unloading was resumed on the Cosmos, the Tamon Maru 12, the Orari, and the Stella, and this was carried on till 10 p.m