WATERFRONT TROUBLE

Otago Witness, Issue 3889, 25 September 1928, Page 51

WATERFRONT TROUBLE

SOME PORTS STILL IDLE. TERMS OF NEW AWARD. CANBERRA, September 20. A statement has been prepared illustrating the benefits that the Waterside Workers’ Federation will receive undei Mr Justice Beeby’s award. The list ol benefits includes the following: — Men required to. work bulk or shovel cargoes are granted two “ smoke-ohs ” in the day in addition to the existing night “ smoke-ohs,” and if they work during (iny such period are entitled to double time. By the establishment of central pickups in Sydney the award has granted the federation a boon sought for years. Although'the ordinary rate of 2s llJid an hour remains unaltered, very high rates have been awarded for work under certain conditions. A man who works through a meal hour on a holiday or on a Sunday will receive 9s Bgd an hour. A new provision grants time and a-half and double time for overtime work. This will apply to all ports except the over seas section in Geelong and Melbourne and the ports of Fremantle and Gerald ton (W.A.). Thus for working between 6 o’clock in the evening and midnight the rate will be 4s an hour, compared with 4s 3d in the old award ; and from midnight to 7 o’clock in the morning it is 5s lid, compared with ss, Rates of pay for ordinary holidays between midnight and 7 o’clock are 6s 9d an hour, compared with 5s formerly. Tlie award stipulates that a man who begins work after 11 o’clock must be guaranteed work for four hours at double pay (5s lid), a minimum wage of 23s Bd. If that work is on a holiday or on a Sunday, he must be paid 6s 9d an hour, or a minimum wage of 275. A board of reference has powe r to grant additional rates where the cargo worked is unusually obnoxious or dangerous. An increase of as much as is 3d an hour has occasionally been awarded.

PROLONGED FIGHT PROBABLE. SYDNEY, September 20. Hopes of the negotiations for a settlement of the waterside dispute proving successful were abandoned at Melbourne this afternoon, the federation deciding that it had no alternative but to accept the ship owners’ challenge and fight the introduction of free labour on the waterfront. The decision of the conference instructing members to offer at all ports under Mr Justice Beeby’s award is thus jettisoned. Over 100 volunteers signed on at Port Adelaide this afternoon. VOLUNTEER LABOUR. SYDNEY, September 20. Volunteer labour started to-day loading wool on the Matatua at Newcastle. Members of the Waterside Workers’ Federation continued to work at Sydney to-day on vessels requiring labour, but this port is badly dislocated through the holdup at other places. The work to-day was principally confined to the Aorangi, the Maheno, and the Marama. The steamer Katoomba paid off to-day 150 men affected. The brokers will decide to-morrow whether the wool sales will be resumed on Monday. It is estimated that the stoppage of the sales this week resulted in £3,000,000 being held up. At Melbourne the waterside workers did not respond to the call for labour for the Peninsular liner Cathay, which was declared black because she carried cargo handled by free labour at Adelaide. No call was made for free labour, the owners having decided to make tomorrow the first day for that. The other ships in port were worked. SMART WORK OF VOLUNTEERS. NEWCASTLE, September 21. Volunteer labour on the wharves established a record in wool loading, placing 120 bales on board in an hour, whereas the customary rate is 70 bales an hour. ACTIVITY AT BOWEN. — BRISBANE, September 21. The sugargrowers are arriving in large numbers to load the -ships at Bowen, which is alive with activity. SEVERAL PORTS NORMAL. SYDNEY, September 21. The waterside workers are now working at the following ports:—Sydney, Cairns Townsville, Port Kembla, Port Augusta’ Port Pirie, Albany, and Tasmanian ports.

EFFECT ON WOOL SALES. PERTH, September 21. The wool sales were postponed owing to the strike. STRIKE ENDED AT NEWCASTLE. SYDNEY, September 21. The strike has ended on the Newcastle waterfront, the men deciding to-day by a small majority to accept the terms of Mr Justice Beeby’s award. BRISBANE MEN DEFIANT, BRISBANE,-September 21. The Brisbane waterside workers defied the members of the union executive, who to-day appealed to them to- resume under the new award. A mass meeting decided not to accept work, and free labour is now being enrolled.

POSITION AT PORT ADELAIDE. ADELAIDE, September 21. The waterside workers maintain their attitude of refusing to work under the award. Free labourers were taken under police guard to work the Jervis Bay at Port Adelaide. — TRANSPORT WORKERS’ BILL. CANBERRA, September 21. The introduction of the Transport Workers’ Bill in the House was the signal for an outbreak of interruptions from the Opposition benches during Mr Bruce’s explanation of the provisions for registration of all transport workers and their protection while engaged in their work, and for continued employment of such workers after the strike, and the prohibition of employment of anyone in the transport industry unless he is registered “It is the most drastic industrial measure introduced in the Federal Parliament for years,” Mr Bruce declared. “ Interruptions of transport (by waterside workers or seamen in the past 10 years have made Australia a byword, and great financial loss is already accruing to the country as a result of the present industrial trouble. The Government does not intend that there should be victimisation.” Mr Scullin declared that he stood by arbitration and the observance of awards, and still did so. He had tried to bring about peace, but his efforts had been frustrated by the Government. He regretted that the men had not obeyed their executives, but this Bill would not help. The measure really inaugurated industrial martial law. The debate is proceeding. CANBERRA, September 22. The House passed the Transport Bill by 29 votes to 12 after an all-night sitting and a bitter debate, which lasted nearly 19 hours. A RUSH OF VOLUNTEERS. MELBOURNE, September 22. Several hundred volunteers who engaged for wharf work were heckled at the Port Melbourne wharves. One man was violently assaulted, and another attacked. The police arrived and made an arrest. Nine overseas vessels are being worked. Arrangements have been made for volunteers to sleep on the wharves. Court proceedings have been instituted against the Waterside Workers’ Federation for inciting its members to strike. Great interest is being taken in the proceedings. The hearing has not yet concluded. FEDERATION FINED £lOOO. MELBOURNE, September 23. The Waterside Workers’ Federation of Australia has been fined the maximum of £lOOO for an offence against the Commonwealth Arbitration Act in that on September 10 it ordered, encouraged, advised and incited its members to refuse to accept employment on the steamer Karoola. The magistrate said it was clear from the evidence that John Cadden, an officer of the federation, had advised members to refuse work, and they did so. Counsel for the federation urged that the penalty should be limited to Cadden, at whom this particular charge was aimed. Since September 10, he pointed out, the great proportion of union members had carried on their usual work.

Counsel for the Crown replied that it was part of the settled policy of the federation, in defiance of the law, to create and maintain throughout Australia the present state of affairs. A stay in the proceedings has-been granted for 14 days. ATTACK ON FREE LABOURERS. MELBOURNE, September 23. During an attack on the free labourers working at' Port Melbourne last night one man was shot through the cheek, another had his skull fractured, and a taxi driver had his jaw broken.