SHIPPING HOLD UP

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21057, 8 March 1940, Page 6

SHIPPING HOLD UP

NON=UNIONIST STAND KEEPING JOBS WARM OWNERS REJECT DEMANDS (By Telegraph.—Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday Alleging that they were being made a convenience of to “keep the jobs warm for unionists,” 32 nonunionists who were engaged by the Railway Department to work the Union Company’s steamer Waipiata refused to start to-day unless they were permitted to work until 9.30 p.m. This demand was declined and work on the vessel will not begin until to-morrow morning. Two spokesmen for the nonunionists, in the presence of others, stated that they had been engaged in the morning to start at 2.30 p.m. Some of them had to return to Christchurch for their mid-day meal, thus using up their railway tickets. After being kept waiting most of the day they were about to start work at 2.30 p.m. when they asked if they would be guaranteed employment until 9.30 p.m., instead of being relieved by unionists who would finish other jobs at 5 p.m. The request was made to the stationmaster, Mr A. K. Dyne, who conferred with Mr J. Flood, secretary of the Lyttelton branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union. The men were then told that the guarantee could not be made. A Closed Union “They say that we are holding the ship up,” said one of the spokesmen, “but it is the union which is holding it up by refusing us permission to work through. They are too greedy. Their men are after earning £1 Is by working at other ships until five o’clock and want to take our jobs from us and earn another 14s in overtime. We would get only 6s 8d for two and a-half hours’ work, keeping the job warm for them to take over. “Most of us here are New Zealanders, maryjj being returned soldiers. We belong to other unions, but are out of work and we would willingly join the Watersiders’ Union if we were allowed, but it is a closed union.” The speaker added that the 32 men were unanimous. It was not just a case of a few agitators making trouble. Mr Dyne was interviewed and said he had not been in a position to agree to the men’s demand, as unionists had to be engaged if they reported for work at 6 p.m. Mr Flood said that the award provided that non-unionists could be relieved by unionists after two hours or at a meal hour. He had no power to consent to breaking the terms of the award.

TROUBLE EXTENDED NON-UNIONISTS REFUSE WORK (By Telegraph.—Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Friday Further trouble arose on the Lyttelton waterfront this morning. The non-union men, who refused work yesterday unless they were employed till 9.30 p.m., were stood down and other non-unionists when offered jobs refused to accept. POSITION AT AUCKLAND NO DEVELOPMENTS (Special to Times.) AUCKLAND, Friday There have been no developments in the waterside dispute. No overtime is being worked, the men ceasing work at 5 p.m. No correspondence has passed between the union and the Auckland Shipping and Stevedores’ Association and it is evident that both parties are waiting for the initiative to come from Wellington, either from the Cabinet or from the Waterside Workers’ Federation. NO CHANGE

MINISTER’S MESSAGE MEN MAINTAIN ATTITUDE (By Telegraph.—Press Association) AUCKLAND, Friday Following receipt of a telegram from the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb, emphasising the serious view taken by the Government of the Auckland watersiders’ decision not to work overtime and asking for a statement of the attitude to be made to-day, the members of the union held a stop-work meeting this morning, and decided to “ remain in the J same frame of mind ” until they had ! been met by the employers for the i purposes of a new agreement. The branch emphatically denied the implications that the present position had been brought about through Communistic influence. DELAY DEPRECATED WIDESPREAD DISCONTENT UNION OFFICER’S COMMENT (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Friday While declining to comment parj ticularly on the attitude of the Auckland waterside workers in rei fusing to accept overtime work uni til their claims for a new agreement | are met. Mr J. Roberts, general sec--1 rotary of the New Zealand Waterside 1 Workers’ Union, made the following j statement:— i “There is discontent on all waterI fronts in the Dominion today due Ito the delay in obtaining a new agreement. The dispute had been referred to the Court of Arbitration

fully twelve months, but has not yet been heard. “The court in 1922. and again in 1928. laid down a certain formula for adjusting waterside workers’ wages. The National Union is prepared to accept that formula for the settlement of the dispute, but the employers of waterside labour have refused. There is no justifiable reason why the dispute could not have been settled long ago. * “It should be remembered also that the present wage rates were agreed to in 1936. twelve months before the standard wage pronouncement increasing wages was made by the court, and the men loading and discharging ships rightly feel that a readjustment of their wages should have been made long before now. but although the National Executive of the union has done everything in its power it always has met with a blank refusal by the employers. “It is true that the employers offered a piecework proposal, but this applied only to loading cargoes in overseas ships at the four main ports, and would concern only about 20 per cent, of the men. The piecework rate was not acceptable, but in any case the National Executive would not accept a proposal which applied to only 20 per cent of the membership. “An overwhelming maioritv of the waterside workers in New Zealand do not desire any holdup on the waterfront. They are as anxious as anybody else that continuous work should be carried on. but the delay in adjusting the dispute ha:- caused grave discontent and the sooner it is adjusted on a proper basis the better it will be for all concerned.”