REFUSED TO WORK

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 43, 12 February 1946, Page 5

REFUSED TO WORK

LOCAL WATERSIDERS’ UNION

‘GANG SYSTEM’ IN DISPUTE

Following the representations of -the Whakatane Harbour Board and 'Chamber of Commerce for an improved coastal shipping service to Whakatane an interesting development occurred yesterday morning when the members- of t(he local Watersiders’ Union refused to unload ‘the Northern Steamship’s vessel '‘Clansman’ unless only one gang was employed instead of the two arranged for by the shipping agent Mr T. Hall, as a means of speeding up the service to the port.

' The position has arisen only since the Northern Company has endeavoured to improve the shipping facilities to the East Coast ports by ..putting on extra ships, and increasing the service from one ship to two ships weekly. The new service is •calculated to build up the trade which was in danger of serious de*cline following the stringency of. the war years and the ‘Clansman’ which brought some 220 tons of freight -was destined to carry away a full cargo of butter and cheese from the Rangitaiki Plains Dairy Company. The men argue that two gangs are unnecessary in that members of the Union are quite capable of loading • and unloading the ship even if ih takes twice as long. The position is that in an effort to speed up the •two gangs are expected, to clear the iship by 5 p.m. this evening. Numv her 2 Gang comprises largely ‘sea--gull’ workers and the net result is that overtime pay which is usually necessary will be eliminated. This is considered an infringement of the -rights of the. Union workers who when they were informed of the : arrangement at 8 o’clock this morning refused to handle the cargo, with the result that the ship is • now held up indefinitely. The Company’s Manager Mr E. J. ■Hewitt, has been notified and is in 'touch with the Uninn’s headquarters iri Auckland. The greatest concern Vis felt locally in view of the fact -that whatever* effort is made locally tq improve the coastal shipping it ■appears that the Union has the ;pdfwer to thwart these efforts by a policy of aggressive attempts at ‘job control.’ \