WATERSIDE WORKERS’ DISSATISFIED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19015, 10 November 1923, Page 7

WATERSIDE WORKERS’ DISSATISFIED.

TROUBLE AT THE DUNEDIN WHARVES. WINCHMEN DESIRE HIGHER PAY. CESSATION OF WORK. One of those regrettable and apparently needless industrial troubles which New Zealand, in common with the rest of the world, is becoming more and more accustomed to, occurred at the Dunedin wharf on Thursday. 'I he cause of the trouble, which has resulted in a number of largo and valuable steamers lying idle at the wharf and. a large number of men being thrown out of work, is easily explained. The City of Birmingham was due to arrive in Dunedin on Thursday afternoon, and the stevedores’ representative called for two gangs of men, each gang numbering eight, to start work on her at 2 p.m. Of the 16 men, 12 were to work the cargo of case oil under hatches. The other four were to manipulate the winches. At 2 p.m. the hatches, on the City- of Birmingham were removed, but it was then found that, although the 12 .men were ready to go below only one winchman, had turned up. The workmen stood by until 5 p.m.—and they will expect to be paid for three hours—but an effort to obtain winchmen- proved unavailing. It was decided to make a fresh call for labourers' at a quarter to 8 yesterday morning. There Was no response by the watersiders. Another call was made after 9 o’clock. Still again there was no response. Two further calls wore made during the day, but in each instance they again proved fruitless. A clause in the waterside workers’ award states that men working oil ships below hatches are to receive 4d per hour above the amount paid for working general cargo. Tho question cams before the Arbitration Court, which ruled that only men actually handling kerosene in a ship’s hold should receive extra rates of pay. The Waterside Workers’ Federation was not satisfied with this clause in the award, and asked tho court to include winchmen and hatchmen. The court did not agree to this; hence the dissatisfaction which has existed ever since. In the present trouble three winchmen evidently acted in collusion and agreed amongst themselves not to bo on the City of Birmingham at 2 p.m. As the men refused to answer the call for labour to work the City of Birmingham, the employers decided not to make a call for labour to remove the cargo of other vessels which came to the Dunedin wharf later. The employers state that the City of Birmingham was the first to reach Dundin, and until tho call for labour to work her has been responded to there will be no call for men' to work other vessels. That was the position last night. The waterside workers claim that they have been locked out by the employers refusing to call for men to work the vessels which have reached port after the arrival of the City of Birmingham 9 ho employers state that they have done nothing of the sort. Tho Arbitration Court has decided that the men who work case oil under hatches are entitled to receive an extra 4d per hour, but that the winchmen are not entitled to receive any extra money. The employers state, moreover that they are following tho usual custom in securing men to work ono vessel before they make a call for men to work another vessel arriving later. x They also assert tff&t there is no doubt that tiie men called for the City of Birmingham acted in collusion to prevent work being carried out on the vessel and that they have become parties to a strike, seeing that the call for men to work the City of Birmingham. and the response of the men to their, names, constituted a “contract” under the .-tct. Tho employers stale that they did not insert tho clause regarding extra payment for nnder-hatch workmen, with no extra pay tor winchmen —that the Arbitration Court did that, and that it i s therefore a straight-out clause of tho rvatorsido workers’ award and cannot ho defied at the will of the workers. Members of the executive of the Waterside Workers’ - Union, on the other hand, state that tho men were quite willing to work ttie cargo to which they were accustomed, but that at tho time the City of Birmingham arrived there happened to be three winchmen short, and others were called upon to do the work. Certain men handled certain cargoes. Some, for instance, never handled coal, and others never handled oil. Those who had been asked to handle the oil in this instance were not accustomed to this class of work. It was on account of this refusal, one member said, that the employers blocked the port to the waterside workers. Had tho employers worked other ships in tho meantime, he added, the City of Birmingham would, in his opinion, have been manned by now. "What we want to know,’’ said another member, “is why the whole matter was not put before tho Disputes Committee.” It had been announced by a representative of tho employers that no more labour would he engaged until tho City of Birmingham was worked. This, in the opinion of the waterside workers, was a look-out, tor they were quite willing to wofk other vessels'*’ Tho question is not answered why tho men answered the call to work case oil on tho City of Birmingham if they wore not used ,to handling- it. The dispute has not arisen, however, over the men who were to handle the- case oil. Tho trouble was caused by three winchmen failing to fulfil their engagement. A remarkable feature about the action of Hie waterside workers in Dunedin is that the City of Birmingham has already unloaded case oil at Auckland, Napier, Wellington, New Plymouth, and .Lyttelton without the slightest hitch under conditions exactly similar to those asked for by tho employers here. The 4d per extra per winchman - represents a very small sum in the aggregate. The loss of the wages of about 250 men must, mean, however, a very substantial amount of money. All the labour employed working two ships—Dorset and Tretyon—resumed yes-: tordav morning, and these were the only vessels working yesterday. Three gangs finished operations on the Trelyon on Thursday, and one pang continued the work. Two gangs wove engaged in discharging cargo from the Dorset. Tho men on these two vessels were engaged before the present trouble arose. The overseas steamer Karamea reached the lower harbour yesterday morning and berthed at Port Chalmers to load woo!.; The wool should he placed on board the vessel in a dav or two. and she will then come un to Dunedin to unload general cargo. If the present trouble is not settled the Karamea will have to wait- until tho City of Birmingham has received her complement of workmen before she can be-, worked. W VI’FBSIDE wnnKKRS MEET THIS MOBNING. A meeting of the Dunedin waterside workers will he held at, 8 o’clock this morning. when it is hoped that a satisfactory soap-ion of tho trouble will be arrived at.