Wesermunde row settled but P.M. not happy

Press, 19 April 1979, Page 1

Wesermunde row settled but P.M. not happy

PA Wellington The secretary of the Federation of Labour (Mr W. J. Knox) yesterday spearheaded an agreement to unload the fishing vessel Wesermunde which could have serious repercussions for the fishing industry. The agreement, which will run until January 1 subject to any change in legislation, provides a manning scale for watersiders to unload the Wesermunde at Bluff.

The watersiders’ right to do this work is disputed by the Government and the Fishing Industry Board, which acts on behalf of the industry. The agreement was signed at Parliament yesterday by the chairman of High Seas Fisheries, Ltd. (Mr R. MacDonald), and Mr Knox, on behalf of the four unions involved, after a meeting called by the Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) had broken up.

The Wesermunde is now expected to berth at Bluff on Monday with a full load of about 800 tonnes. Sources said that the formal meeting had broken up when it had become apparent that to proceed would have deprived the company of its freedom to

reach agreement with the unions on whatever terms it thought best. The parties not immediately involved in the dispute would never have agreed to the final document. Soon after the agreement had been announced the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) said it was “absolutely essential” that the agreement not be taken as a precedent for the future. He intended to promote legislation to clarify watersiders’ work and work which should be left to fishermen. While the agreement spells out that its terms should not be seen as prejudicial to further talks, Mr Knox said it had established a base for future discussions. There was no official comment from the Fishing Industry Board. Mr Knox said the final agreement was the same as the proposal put forward by the Federation of Labour on behalf of the Waterside Workers’ Federation. Asked what attitude the unions would take to similar vessels being unloaded in the future, he said this would be taken up later

on a company-by-company basis if necessary . Mr MacDonald said that the cost of the watersiders’ involvement in unloading would depend on productivity and the spirit in which the agreement was developed. “I think there are a lot of issues still be discussed.” The company could now continue its work at least until next year and would be able to find out whether the Wesermunde was a viable venture. A condition of the agreement is that vessels other than the Wesermunde now fishing in New Zealand will continue to be unloaded by traditional means. The manning scales agreed on are: — Work in the vessel’s hold will be undertaken by the vessel's crew. — Work on the vessel's deck will be performed by watersiders (three deck men). — Two watersiders will be engaged as wharf landers for each gang employed. — Any additional labour required will be employed at the discretion of the company and need not necessarily be watersiders.