SHIPS’ SAILING DELAYED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19519, 29 December 1937, Page 3

SHIPS’ SAILING DELAYED

TWO AT WELLINGTON SHORE WORKERS’ DISPUTE CARPENTERS CALLED OFF (P«r Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. A hold-up arising out of a labour dispute which had little or nothing to do with the crew of either ship delayed the departure of the intercolonial liners Awatea and Maunganui for a full hour. Both ships were timed to sail at 5 o'clock, at which hour they were completely ready to leavg, but they were held up without warning. The Awatea had on board about 350 passengers for Sydney, and the Maunganui was carrying about 100 for Melbourne. The trouble arose out of a dispute between the Wellington Shipwrights’ Union and the Union Steam Ship Company regarding the rates of pay of the shore workers of the union and the carpenter carried in each of the delayed ships. Some months ago negotiations before the Conciliation Council between the shipwrights’ union and the Union Steam Ship Company resulted in an agreement concerning wages and certain conditions, four points, including the question of travelling time, being reserved for decision by the Court of Arbitration. Regarding wages, it is stated that representatives (of the union, who included an official Of the seamen’s union as agent, agreed to accept a rate of 2s Bkl an hour without waiting for a pronouncement of the Court of Arbitration. The agreement was to run until June 30, 1938. Later the president of the Arbitration Court pronounced 2s 9d an hour as the rate for skilled workers.

Request for 2/9:{ ail Hour It is stated further that a carpenters’ agreement negotiated still later provided for an increase in the wages rate from 2s (id to 2s 9Jd an hour. Since then the shipwrights’ union has been asking for 2s o:,'d an hour, plus travelling time. Since the latter matter had been reserved for the Arbitration Court, the demand was not conceded by the company, and the shipwrights working at the patent slip ceased work last week. The Awatea and the Maunganui were then brought into the dispute by the shipwrights’ union ordering the carpenter employed in each ship to give notice and come ashore. The men, who arc members of the union, had to leave their ships to-day, since the carpenter of a ship is not included in the legal complement of the crew.

There was still no reason why both ships should not have sailed on time. The cooks and stewards were perfectly willing to sail, but apparently the members of the seamen’s union in each ship were influenced to hold up the Awatea and the Maunganui to force the issue in respect of the shipwrights’ dispute. It is understood that it was finally agreed between the company and the representatives of the shipwrights’ union that the question of the wages rate should be re-opened for argument before the Court of Arbitration. The president of the seamen’s union, who had acted as agent on the Conciliation Council for the shipwrights’ union, communicated the decision to the members of his union on each ship and they, after discussing the matter at meetings on board, decided to go to sea.

The Awatea departed at 5.55 p.m., and the Maunganui left about 10 minutes later.