WORK AT BLUFF

Southland Times, Issue 24369, 25 February 1941, Page 2

WORK AT BLUFF

To The Editor

Sir—On Saturday the Ocean Beach freezing works employees held their annual picnic. There was a rush of shipping on the wharf. Quite a number of Ocean Beach workers took work on the wharf in spite of the fact that their union expressly forbids such an action during the freezing season. There were others who pushed their way past deserving cases —Harbour Board employees with permanent jobs, and others on a 40-hour week. Yours, etc., DISGUSTED. February 22, 1941.

To The Editor Sir—Why were freezing works men engaged on our job on Saturday, when they had a picnic day holiday, and why were we put back in the dumping store? We started work on Friday at noon,—Yours, etc., TWO WORKERS. February 24, 1941. [These letters were referred to the manager of the Bluff Waterfront Bureau, Mr W. K. Cameron, who said there had been an abnormal rush of shipping at the port last week. It had been necessary to advertise for workers and also to secure the assistance of the Placement Service in finding sufficient labour to work the ships as expeditiously as possible. As far as he knew no men who offered their services on Saturday morning were refused employment. He had since been informed that some were employees at the Ocean Beach freezing works, but at the time he engaged the men he did not know if they had any other employment. His task had been to secure sufficient men to turn the ships round in the shortest possible time. He understood that some men had been brought from a dumping store on Friday bv the agents of a shipping company because of the urgency of the work on the wharf, but in the meantime other labour had been engaged and the men were sent back to the store.]