THE SHIPPING TROUBLE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16904, 1 December 1922, Page 5

THE SHIPPING TROUBLE

SHIPOWNERS AND UNION. 'P r T* P.KESS ASSOUIAXIONA TV El.l. i V i'fUN . November 80. Ccirrespuudcnce between Mr Young Booretru-v of it,,- ijoratcd Scumcn’. l uiem, and Mr 1 >iho{>. secretary of thr r.uiplovers hcdtvutioii, K published to Do November -4 M, B,<J )o n wroL L ’ 'dr ’« oui.g as luliou > : •• I am in •>r r-a;t<*ii by IJ. c:;ccN;r.v of th< Ne»* /eniand ipowucio’ Federation i.o . i*.• • i.> you. : ' ti.-ifi ihc intention ot i.bo siaiOiiH-iil published in ilie touul <*» - e.ss •i * c ’"" ago may not e been q’iiie clear t«i organisation. and ocean sc it is considered that the meet •I'g ol your executive council in TV el .*ngion affords a suitable opportuniiv pia-ir. / a definite st.itcinent be fori-. Y u - ; 1C position is that the shipping '■ tnpanics arc not prepared to engage members of your union unless and until me official assurance is given by your executive that the trouble is at an"end and that your members are agreeable t ,J working under the "terms of the Arbitration Court award."' Vfr Young replied on November 28. slating that his council “ regrets that you evidently assume that the columns ot a newspaper should be accepted as n medium of transmitting official »omniunicatb'ns from shipping companies t this federation* an assumption entirely erroneous. The council notes that the shipping companies are not prepared to engage men of the Seamen s Federation until some assurance ): given that, thev will work under the award of the Court. Not having made any such pronouncement, as indicated. von are incorrect in surmising that the men of this federation have refused to work under the award. The fact is that they offered their services under tho award on the morning of

the 20th inst at all ports, only to re:eive an intimation that they were not i. anted hy the shipping companies. Should it be tho wish of shipping com sanies my council will consider any proposal by them for consideration of the x>.sition existing.** "Mr Bishop replied cm November 29 lisclairning the assumption that newspapers should be the medium of official :i '.mtnu mentions, and proceeding.You sav that the shipowners are not -orroet in surmising that tnembers of vour federation have refused to work under the award, ami that in fact the men did offer themselves for work under the award at all ports on the 20th inst.. only to receive an intimation that rbev were m»t wanted by the shippm*, com panic?. In reply to this J am. instructed. to say that the shipowners dio not surmise anything at- all. because the members of your federation left ilteir ships immedialely following upon the bolding of stop-work meetings at various ports,, and many of them gave fi-s their reason for so doing that they were not prepnren to work under the new award. Further, at- the conference between your executive council members and a representative committee of shipowners you yourself stated that there was a very strong feeling in the minds of all members in favour of downing tools on all ships, os a protest against the award, and as a means of averting this trouble you suggested that the shipowners ' should drop tlie pward and continue under the 1920 agreement. Your suggestion was not accepted hy the shipowners, and three days later members of your federation in Wellington attended u stopwork meeting, and immediately after the meeting returned to their respec live ships and gave notice of their intention to leave their employment. Similar action was taken at other ports. The facts are that members of your federation acted in concert in giving notice of iheir intention to leave tleir employment, and many of them gave as the reason *for giving notice that they would not work under tho award, t'ndcr these circumstances the shipowners feel themselves fully justified in declining to re-engage members of vour federation unless and until your executive gives an official assurance that the award will now l>e accepted. If T am right in assuming' fiom your letter that you ore prepared to discuss the nature of such an assurance T suggest that a meeting be arranged between delegates from your f»-deration and representatives of "the shipowners, at which this and other necessary matters may be discussed. The shipowners are prepared to arrange sue]) a meeting at 2.80 p.m. this afternoon it this hour is convenient to you.” It was ascertained to-day that dele gates to the Seamen’s Lnion Executive Council meeting, which has been in progress in Wellington for several flays, departed for their homes yesterday evening. Up till 1 p.m. to-dav no reply had been received by tne Shipowners ’Federation to the last letter addressed to the Seamen’s Union. Mr Young stated this afternoon that the reason why the members of *the National Executive of the Seamen’s Union had decided to close down their meeting was because of the suggestion published on Tuesday that the seamea were backing down. The delegates might consult the membership in their respective districts as to what future action to take, .and they might meet m Wellington again at. the end of next week. c< That is all the result of what was published on Tuesday,” said Mr Young. “ Otherwise the trouble might have been settled yesterday. In my opinion our position is excellent. We have nothing whatever to complain about. As the newspapers are attempting to mislead the men concerned we have now specially instructed our membership that they tak«* no notice whatever of any statement appearing the newspaper*.”