WORK REFUSED

Temuka Leader, Issue 10894, 20 August 1932, Page 1

WORK REFUSED

NO RESPONSE TO CALLS BY WATERSiDERS. SHIPOWNERS HOLD MEETING. WELLINGTON, August 19. There appears to be an organised plan among the members work ships under the new conditions. Caiis for labour have met with no response at Wellington, Gisborne and Dunedin. When waterfront labour was called for at 7.45 fills morning under I lie new conditions, none offered. Two further calls for labour ou the water front have been made, and met with no response. A meeting of ship-owners is being held at ten o'clock.

SHIPS NOT WORKED AT DUNEDIN. KA livUß.il HAS WHEAT ABOARD DUNEDIN, August 19. There was no response to the call for work on Dunedin waterfront under the new conditions. Throe ships in port include the Kaikorai, from Agelong, with 1,600 tons of wheat. TRO'33'.E AT GiSDOBNE. NO UNION LABOUR OFFERS. GISBORNE, August 19. The first indication of difficulty on the Gisborne waterfront was given when a call was made for a small gang to handle the lighters released from the lightering contract in contract in connection with the. liner Taranaki. Union labour was not offering on toe new terms and no further effort will be made to fill the jobs to-day. STATEMENT BY FEDERATION SECRETARY. DICTATORIAL ACTION MY SHIPOWNERS. WELLINGTON, August, 19. After a lengthy outline of the negotiations with the shipowners iu the dispute. Mr Huberts, secretary of the Watersidcr?’ Federation, complained of tee discourtesy on the part of Mr TurrcJl, managing superintendent of {lie N.Z. Shipping Company. in declaring the negotiations broken off and not stating in the letter that lie intended to put the employers’ proposals into operation this morning. The Revision of Wages. Mr Roberts said the basic wage 1 for watersiders in 1920 was 2/4 per hour, and the average weekly employment was do hours. In 1922 Judge Frazer slated that the average weekly employment at that time was d 0.04 hours and he fixed the bash- wage at 2/21 on that basis. On the figures the Federation had obtained the average employment today was about 20 hours a week and therefore the wages of 1/1 1 an hour would return weekly £1 18s 4d. In two large ports the average wage for the year ended June 30 was £4 10s 7d a week and for 52 weeks to Ju'ne 30 last it had fallen to £2 9s. The Avatersldcrs could not possibly agree to any further wage reduction. Effect of Ten Per Cent. Cut. Mr Roberts said the 10 per cent, cut last year gave a present to overseas shipowners of between £BO,OOO md £90,000. This money was taken ■'il of Now Zealand, and if the proposals wore agreed to it would mum another £IOO.OOO direct purchasing loss to this country. The watersiders are willing that an impartial tribunal .should be set up to investigate the wages earned by the watersiders prior to the last award and since, and to allow that tribunal to sav whether another wages cut should ho enforced. The Watersiders’ Federation was affiliated with the International Transport Workers’ Federation, that was to say they were affiliated with all British transport workers’, organisations and while tkev had no desire to refer the dispute to that body the dictatorial action of the representative of tlio shipowners would probably compel them to take that course.