WATERSIDE DISPUTE

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 21

WATERSIDE DISPUTE

MANY VESSELS HELD UP. There was no change during last week in the position on the waterfront in Dunedin. The Te Anau from East Coast ports, the Kaiapoi, with general cargo from Melbourne, and the Tarawera. from Sydney, with general cargo,' have lain idle at the wharf, the workers declining to give a guarantee that they would carry on under the unloading of the Sealda having been commenced. Work unloading the Calm, Corinna, and Sealda went on without interruption, The crew of the Te Anau were paid off. The number of idle watersiders increased during the week, and on Saturday the number had reached about 300. The unloading o fthe Sealda having been completed, the wharves were practically deserted on Saturday. At Port Chalmers the work proceeded smoothly during the week. At Auckland there were no new features during the week, except that the crew of the Talune and Tofua were paid off. The carters in the city receievd a week’s notice owing to slackness of work, and the gas pressure had to be seriously reduced owing to the coal shortage, while the steamer Darfiqld with 1000 tons of coal on board arrived in harbour, but had to be laid up. At Wellington, vessels as the arrived were taken out into the stream to await a settlement. On the 21st ult., some of the men who had previously declined offered to work overtime, but as the guarantee requirecl by the employers was not forthcoming", the ofi’er >vas declined. On that date 14 vessels were idle, and 600 waterside workers unemployed. The crews of some of the smaller vessels were paid off. On the 23rd ult., the Somerset and Durham, having completed loading, the number of men out of work was increased by about 300. By the 24th there w 7 ere eight vessels idle m the stream and 11 at the wharves, the total idle tonnage being 72,074. One bright incident in connection with the trouble has to be recorded. The waterside workers at Nelson refused to load 13,000 cases of apples to be sent to Wellington for transhipment to England. Returned soldiers -who are fruitgrowers of Motueka telegraphed to the workers’ headquarters at Wellington: “Don’t let the old diggers down. There are hundreds of us here depending on your loading fruit into the Hororata. Play the game.” A prompt reply was sent that the fruit would be handled both at Nelson and Wellington, and this was done. At Lyttelton there was no trouble during the week so far as the waterside workers were concerned, but serious delay was caused by a shortage of trucks. At Timaru the watersiders refused to work overtime on the 21st, hut on the 23rd the Cosmos and the Canopus were worked. As a result of the Ivanna, with a cargo of sugar on board, being held up at Wellington, there is a scarcity of sugar at Dunedin and Invercargill and in the country districts of Otago and Southland. NEGOTIATIONS FOR A SETTLEMENT. WELLINGTON, February 25. The Waterside Workers’ Federation has not yet replied to the proposal made by the employers that- the' present position on the, waterfront shall be considered by a special committee representing both sides. Mr Roberts, secretary of the federation, in a letter to Mr Bennett, manager of the Wellington Watersiders’ Co-operative Employment Association, states that after having made exhaustive inquiries, he finds: 1. That the “go-slow” was not put into operation at any port in the dominion. (2) That the men did not act in concert in declining overtime. Mr Glover (president) and Mr Roberts arc convinced that in all instances the watersiders acted strictly in accordance with the terms of tiho agreement. They assert, however, that the employers ignored clause 45, which provides for the reference of disputes to the local Disputes Committee, and if necessary, to the National Committee. Mr Bennett, in his reply, says that the employers regret that they are unable to accept this statement, and are satisfied that their complaints are absolutely correct, emphatically so regarding the men acting in concert and refusing to work overtime. Mr Roberts, ho pursues, is in error in stating that the employers ignored clause 45. The dispute was referred to the local Disputes Committees at Auckland and Wellington, but the unions at both ports declined to accept the responsibility of dealing with the dispute. February 26. A conference was held to-day between representatives of the employers and the Waterside Workers’ Federation. The employers asked tho federation for an assurance that work on the waterfront will in future be carried on uninterruptedly, and in accordance with the full terms 'of the agreement. The federation’s reply is expected early next week. The Gas Company has only a few days’ supply of coal. Pressure will be reduced from Monday. FARMERS’ UNION DISCUSSION. CHRISTCHURCH, February 23. The waterside workers’ dispute was referred to to-day at a meeting of the executive of the North Canterbury Farmers* Union. Mr Bates said that without taking sides for capital or labour, the farmers should consider the threatened industrial crisis. Whatever happened the farmers would have to pay the. piper. They should take a strong position and see that their produce was shipped. . lie moved that the matter of the present industrial crisis on the-water-front be referred to the various branches of the union for consideration and report, the form of reference to be left in the hands of the executive. It was pointed out that the Lyttelton men had kept at work, and at overtime, and another member said: “I think we should pass a motion of appreciation and thanks to the Lyttelton waterside workers. We have given them kicks on former occasions.” Other members spoke appreciatively of the Lyttelton waterside workers, and a motion of thanks to them was agreed to. Mr Bates’s motion was approved.