BOYCOTT OF UNIONISTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7013, 18 November 1890, Page 3

BOYCOTT OF UNIONISTS.

The Position at Lyttelton. The position of affairs at Lyttelton, now that the great maritime strike is ended, is anything but satisfactory. From present appearances it seems that very few or none of the Lyttelton men are to find employment at their old work. Not that the varioua employers of labour would not gladly engage them, but unfortunately their hands are tied by a so-called labour bureau through which all labour is engaged, even on the Government railways, the JLyttelton railway authorities having joined forces with some of the employers of labour to teach the late strikers such a lesson that the word " Union " will be for ever banished from their minds. It was generally stated that when the strike ended, Unionists and free labourers would stand an equal chance of getting work, but it appears that this is not now the case. Free labourers are brought from Christchurch in carriages set apart expressly for them, and are converted into waiting and smoking rooms for the men who are not employed. The Eailway Department have a large number of constant men employed, who reside at Christchurch, and who are paid their train fares to Lyttelton to work on the wharves, notwithstanding the fact that mauy of them are admittedly unfitted for the work, and have cost the taxpayers large sums of money by claims against the Department on account of their incompetence. Many rumours are circulated, setting forth the reasons the Labour Bureau people have for stringing on such a large number of men. One rumour is that it iB nothing more or lese than to createßurplußlabour,and eventually reduce the wages ; another is that the employers are attempting to drive aa many of the labourers out of the place as possible before election day, so that the Conservative candidate's chance of being returned will be improved. Let the reasons be what they may there is no doubt that a determined attempt is being made now thai ; the men are down to trample on them, while men are engaged to do work thai i they are complete strangers to, quo or twe ; Union men being put amongst them t( . " break them in." r The matter took some shape at th< . meeting of the Lyttelton Borough Counci i on Monday evening, when a deputation oi . the Lyttelton labourers waited upon tht . Council to place their position before them , The deputation consisted of some twelve 01 r fourteen men, who had been appointed t< j take steps by which some understand I ing conld be arrived at in connectioi . with the matter. After some discussioi . the Connell decided to hear the deputatioi , and see what could be done.

i- | Councillor Hildyard moved — " Tha '• ! a Committee of the Council wait upon thi 3 Traffic Manager of the railway to seeil c any of the men out of employment woulc be given a chance of work." The Counc: was interested to a considerable extent and it made his heart ache to see so man j of the men going about out of work. Ht considered it was the duty of the Council a3 representing the ratepayers, to see '» what could be 'done for tho men. a Councillor Brice ze^.onddd the motion ? and would like to beer from the deputation • how the Labour Bureau affected them. Mr P. Brown said he was there as s * Lyttelton resident and not as a Unionist, ° Th"y had been told that when the strike J_ was over tho best men, whether Unionist or mn-Unionist, would be employed ; but it was to be noted that at one steamer that day all freo labourers had beon engaged. The Union men were under a disadvantage. The free labourers csme down in a body, and were sent to the various ships by the Labour Bureau people, and, as things were being worked at present, the 3 tendency we.3 to drive numbers cut of tho •■ placo. They were, however, deter -nined to f stay, and ir tbey could not gqt wcrk they - would have to get foorl from tho Charit- , ablo Aid. At the s.s. Omapero ho could tell them that twelco free 'labourers \:ete engaged during the day, and when t!iey left s work at night eight Union men Tjere put on to do the same work. Councillor Webb asked if they hud anything to do with private employers ? Mr P. Brown said that all employers i were interested in tho Labour Bureau, and that all the railway casual hands were also engaged through the Bureau. That day (Monday) there were one hundred free labourers engaged as against twenty Lyttelton men. Councillor Brice thought it seemed strange that the Railway Department could not mana»e to engage their own labour, instead c" getting men through the Labour Bureau. His Worship the Mayor said that the matter affected the Borough. If the Lyttelton men wore not to be given work then the Council would of course suffer. Tho men who had worked for the Railway Department were nearly all old residents, and were property owners in the place. It was agreed that a deputation, consisting of his Worship the Mayor, Councillors Webb, Allwright, Hildyard and M'Lollaa should wait on the Railway Department and Stevedores Association to see what could be done in tho interests of the men. Mr Brown said that Mr Alfred Evans, one of the Bureau clerks, bad told a man named Dennis that none of the Lyttelton men were to be engaged. Councillor Webb said that the action of the railway authorities in regard to the men was cruel. They had fought them fairly and the men had been beaten, but it was not fair to trample on an enemy when he waa down. He woild propose that, if no result could be got from the railway authorities here, the Commissioners be approached and even the Premier. Councillor Allwright said as he understood the position of affairs, it was that instructions had been sent from Wellington to engage fifty men as permanent hands at 7s per day, but that the men were not to be asked to go to work till after tho strike. From what he was given to understand t would seem that the misfortune arose in the sending for the men. The station-master had sent for five : men, but thosß men did not communicate >. to the others what they had been told. • He very much regretted that all the men had not been sent for and the terms : offered them. As far as he was concerned ' he was only too glad t:> do anything he ■ could for the men. I An old railway employee remarked iJbat i the station-master had told a deputation ! who waited upon him that in future all men to be employed on the railway would have to go through the Labour Bureau, i He had heard nothing of the offer of ', permanent employment. I Another railway employee said he had -worked for the JDepartmeDt for sixteen years and a half, and had not heard anything about the offer of constant i employment. Councillor Webb's motion was then put ! and carried. _ j (With reference to the statement made '. by Councillor Allwright that the stationmaster, during the strike, had offered employment to five men to go to work as soon as the strike ended, we have made full enquiries, and have failed to get the statement corroborated. We found that three men had been offered constant situations to go to work at once at 7s per day, a reduction of 3s upon the old wages.)