WATERFRONT DISPUTES

Taranaki Daily News, 19 April 1934, Page 7

WATERFRONT DISPUTES

THREE IN DAY AT LYTTELTON DELAY CAUSED TO SEVERAL SHIPS TROJAN STAR IDLE ALL THE DAY. VARIOUS REASONS FOR HOLD-UPS. By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. Following several minor disputes and temporary hold-ups which have occurred on the waterfront during the last few days, three further disputes occurred at Lyttelton to-day. The first dispute concerned the loading of meat into the liner Akaroa. The men declined to start unless they were paid an additional 4d an hour for handling frozen cargo. After a delay of an hour and a-half the men agreed to commence work under protest pending consideration of a claim by the local disputes committee. The second dispute involved the Blue Star steamer Trojan Star, which berthed at 9.30 a.m. A call was made for labour to commence at 10 o’clock, but there was no response from the men. It was ascertained the men would not accept engagements unless they were paid as from 8 o’clock. The employers refused to accede to the demand and a further call made shortly before noon was also ignored by the men and the Trojan Star remained idle all day. A train load of meat was returned to the freezing works because some of the sacks were overweight. Watersiders engaged in loading the Union Steam Ship Company’s Waimarino this morning declined to load any further potatoes into the ship. The employers maintained that the trucks did not average overweight but admitted that some individual sacks were over the weight of 2031 b. gross agreed upon as the maximum between the watersiders and employers for the present season. An offer of 6d an hour extra for handling potatoes was made to the men, who declined, stating that they would not handle potatoes at all. A long rake of trucks containing potatoes for shipment by the Waimarino was then taken off the wharf and the work of loading general cargo was begun. After a conference among the men during the lunch hour an offer was made do l--.d potatoes at an extra rate of pay provided the men were allowed to dump the sacks direct from the slings and were not required to carry and stack them. This offer was accepted by the employers and the work of loading was resumed.