EMPLOYERS ACCUSED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19893, 22 March 1939, Page 11

EMPLOYERS ACCUSED

FAILURE TO NEGOTIATE NEW AGREEMENT ANSWER TO CHARGES (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. In a statement made after the resumption of work on the Wellington waterfront yesterday afternoon. Mr. J. Roberts, secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Workers' Union, who, with Mr. J. Flood, president, addressed the stop-work meeting in. the Tivoli Theatre, said the reason for the waterfront dispute was stated by the men to be that the employers refused to negotiate with the national union. A resolution was carried that the men resume work under normal conditions and that the national union immediately commence negotiations with the employers for a new national agreement, the present award having expired last July. Commenting on Mr. Roberts' statement regarding the cause of the holdup. Mr. W. H. G. Bennett, secretary of tlie New Zealand Waterside Employers' Association, said that on June 30 last the association sent the watersiders' union proposals for a new agreement and gave the union a fortnight to reply. The association received a reply on July 29, but as it was long overdue the association had by that time filed an application for the dispute to be heard by the Dominion Conciliation Council. Council Sitting Delayed Owing to various delays for which the employers were not responsible, the council did not Sit Until October 18 at Auckland, afterwards sitting at Napier, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington, and completing at Wellington on December 8, The council arrived at a partial agreement only, and recommendations to that effect, to be sent to the Clerk of Awards, were drafted and agreed to by the representatives of both sides and sent to the Commissioner on December 13. Mr. Bennett said he received an official copy back on December 24 for the signatures of the employers' assessors. These were duly affixed and the document was handed to th; j union on January 16. The document was finally received back from the Commissioner on February 1. lacking the signature of a union assessor. Thi.. was only obtained on February 22. The papers were duly filed the same day, 47 days after being handed to the union. The court would not be able to hear the dispute in Wellington at this sitting.

Both the Gear Meat Company and the Wellington Meat Export Company stated that the waterfront delay had not affected the operations of their works. The loading-out of carcases was resumed last night.