“DIRT MONEY” CLAIMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27570, 12 December 1950, Page 8

“DIRT MONEY” CLAIMS

Excessive Sums Secured CHARGE AGAINST WATERSIDE WORKERS PA WELLINGTON, Dec. 11. The provisions of the Waterfront Industry Commission’s order relating to dirt money were used by the waterside workers to squeeze excessive sums from the employers, said a witness before the Waterfront Royal Commission today. The witness was William Alexander McGarry, master mariner and wharf superintendent for the Union Steam Ship Company, Ltd., at Wellington. He said there were 36 decisions on dirt money disputes at Wellington during September and 41 during October these totals including a number of cases of reviews of an earlier decision on the same dispute. Witness said the Waterside Workers’ Union walking delegate at Wellington S ractically had a permanent job handng dirt money disputes, and in practically every case the grounds on which the claim was made were the same—simply “exceptional circumstances.” Mr McGarry said that under the commission’s order, book rates for dirt money had been fixed, but there was a provision for review m exceptional circumstances. Now, said witness, the union took the view that exceptional circumstances existed in nearly every case. Exorbitant claims were made, and the rate was usually increased. Sometimes it was doubled, trebled or increased by even more. The employers, added Mr McGarry, considered the book rate should be a flat rate to cover all cases, the worker taking the bad with the good. Because of conditions on the waterfront, it had become very difficult to get foremen to work there, said Mr McGarry. He said foremen were unwilling to continue working when men they had sacked were forced back on their hands by decisions of the Port Committee. Mr McGarry said he did not believe it right that the Port Committee should hear disputes when work was stopped. Work should resume first.