Auckland Watersiders Take Matters Into Own Hands

Chronicle (Levin), 30 November 1946, Page 4

Auckland Watersiders Take Matters Into Own Hands

Press Association .

By Telegraph—

AUCKLAND, Nov. 29. As from today waterside work* ers at Auckland will work only a 40-hour 5-day week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with no Saturday Work and no overtime. This decision was • made at a special stopwork meeting of the uriion and is believed to result from dissatisfaction with the decisou of the Waterfront* Industry Commission in the matter- of a guaranteed wage for waterfront work. The questiun of a guaranteed wage and the introduction of the 40-liour week on the waterfront, has long been desired by the union and it is possib],e the decision of the Auckland branch may be adopted by watersiders throughout New Zealand after a meeting of the national exeeutive of the union next week. The 40-hour week issue was discussed" at an earlier stopworh meeting of the Auckland branch. - "This might only he a temporary state of affairs," said the manager of the Union Steam Ship Company, Mr. A. R. Thompson, when the watersiders' decision was referred to him this afternoon. He declined to eomment on the effect of the decision.

The manager of the Northern Steamship Company, Mr. E. J. Hewitt, said the watersiders "would be the losers in the end", his reason being that eargaes would be sent by rail and the watersiders would receive no money for handling freight. The shipping companies also, of course, would lose valuable traffic which they might never regain. A delay in the arfival of cargoes would seriously affect eountry districts . which relied on shipping for their groeery and other supplies. There probably would be a great aeeumulation of cargo in wharf sheds. -