Sydney And Melbourne Waterfronts Slack

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31080, 8 June 1966, Page 12

Sydney And Melbourne Waterfronts Slack

(Special Crspdt. N.Z P.A.) SYDNEY June 7.

The Australian Waterside Workers’ Federation is concerned at the amount of unemployment at the polls of Sydney and Melbourne. Officials said the situation was very depressed, and they said that the waterfront slump would have national repercussions.

Mr M. Wallington, Federal organiser of the Federation, said that 25 per cent, of the total waterfront work force was unemployed on the last four days of May. He said the unemployment situation would worsen in the next two weeks when the effects of the British seamen’s strike were felt in Australia.

Figures produced by the Stevedoring Industry Authority showed that on one recent day there was no work for 2113 of Sydney’s 5500 watersidprs 6OO and 7<A> Melbourne watersiders have gone home without work on recent days, and officials in that port said men were leaving the waterfront to take other jobs. Mr Wallington said the two main reasons for the waterfront slump were:

The fall in exports because of the drought, and The fall in imports caused by last year’s wage freeze, which reduced consumer spending power. He said that employment on

the waterfront was a barometer of the state of the nation, and he predicted a bad time for the economy. Nearly' all Sydney watersiders, and about 70 per cent of the' Melbourne work force, are not getting the 25s (N.Z.) a day attendance money when there is no work for them. They are having to surrender the payments to the Stevedoring Industry Authority, because of fines imposed during the run of industrial stoppages on the waterfront last year. Mr H. J. Souter, secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, said this week that the council had asked the Federal Government to cancel the penalties and resume attendance money payments. He said the present situation “could lead to industrial unrest.”