WATERFRONT WORK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26350, 3 January 1947, Page 4

WATERFRONT WORK

ULTIMATUM ISSUE NO ACTION MEANTIME -ATTITUDE OF THE UNION (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Jan. 2. It is most unlikely that the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union will take any action before next Monday in answer to the Government’s ultimatum that the authority of the Waterfront Industry Commission be suspended that day if the watersiders have not resumed normal hours of work. That was the opinion expressed to-day by the national president of the Waterside Workers’ Union, Mr H. Barnes. Officials of the Auckland Union consider that the Government will implement its threat on Monday and that the • Minister of Labour, Mr McLagan, will issue orders regulating pay, hours, and conditions of work. Commenting on the statement issued on Tuesday on behalf of the National Executive of the Federation of Labour by the secretary, Mr K. McL. Baxter, who contradicted Mr Barnes’s account of the negotiations between the union and the federation, Mr Barnes said to-day: “I gave a factual account of the negotiations which have taken place.” Confirmation of Mr Barnes’s account was given to-day by Mr A. Drennan, vice-president of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, and president of the Auckland Trades Council. “In general, the facts given in Mr Barnes’s statement formed a correct review of the negotiations as I appreciated them myself,” Mr Drennan said.