BREAK IN UNION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16873, 9 February 1929, Page 16

BREAK IN UNION

STARVING MEN WANT WORK MELBOURNE, Jan. 18. As several members of the Wharf Laborers' Union in Melbourne have not been able to get enough work to keep themselves alive, they have had to look to charity and subscriptions from other members of the union, who are in a more fortunate position,, to save them and their families. The result has been that some of them have already gone to the ship owners and taken out the brown tickets which have been issued to the volunteers, and which admit to the Victoria Dock compound. This led to a certain amount of trouble, and the first man to do so was assaulted. He proved well able to look after himself, however, and his three assailants were left behind en the ground feeling very sorry for themselves. The upshot of this was that lie told the union he was tired of starving, and as he was an experienced man he could get plenty of work if lie were allowed to offer for it. The only condition was that he would join as a volunteer, and he had done so., He was also commissioned to get gangs of good workers to take out the brown tickets. He got some men, and following this a meeting of tin* union was held. It was suggested that a secret ballot he taken, hut this was overruled, and. a motion was put to the vote that the whole union take out these tickets. It was not carried.’ There is “still a possibility of a breakaway of some members of the union.