Prime Minister Reviews Position

Chronicle (Levin), 6 December 1946, Page 7

Prime Minister Reviews Position

-Press Association

Bv Telearavh-

WELLINGTON, Dec. 5. Referring to the waterfront situation the Prime Minister said today that the impasse, which had been reaehed, raised the question of whether the Waterfront Industry Conimission would be able to eontinue to function. Obviously it could only operate effeetively -vvhile its authority was obserVed by both employers and workers. ' ' The present situation makes it necessary to- consider whether the Commission fonn of eontrol is to eontinue and this will have to be decided by Cabinet, " Mr. Eraser said. "The alternative would be for waterside employers and workers to revert to the relationshiji existing prior to the setting up of. the (Jommission. The Waterfront Controi Comnxission was set up in April 1910 when it was vital to the war eifort to expedite the turning round of ships. The Conimission earried out most sueeessfully a difticuit job of organising, loading and diseharging vessels during the war and the time taken to turil round overseas vessels was very much reduced. With the eooperation of waterside workers stoppages of work were reduced to a minimum. Eollowing the cnd of hostilities the New Zealand Waterside Workers' Uuiou approached the Government requesting the reeonstruction of the Commission ou a peacetimb basis with two nominees each of employers and workers and an independant ehairman. A similar request had been made by the employers. The Government gave effeet to the request of the union and the sliipping companies and on July 1st, 194(3, appoinled a Waterfront industry Commission with Mr. Justiee Ongley as ehairman and two nominees from eacli of the workers' and employers' organisations.

"Both the Waterfront Controi Conimissioii and the Waterfront Industry Commission have doue mueli in improving the eonditions of employment of watersiders and in inaintaiuing harmony on the waterfront. The Waterfront Controi Commission was responsible for the introduetion of a systern ! of payment by results known as cooperative eoutractiiig, whereby the men re- ' eeived the actuai ainouiil. earned on a tonnage or unit basis and the quieker the vessel is loaded or diseharged the greater the return to the men. This , systern has been of great benelit to waterside workers and the industry and 1 1 understand that the prolit distributed ' under that ooiitracting system now ! amouiits to approximately £200,000 per I aiuium. Tlie Waterfront Controi Commission was also responsible for in- : ereasing the raio of pay by 2d per hour in June, 1040, and for improving mini- • mimi period payments from a two-hour | minimum to a four-hour minimum. , Other wage inereases were made in line ! with the Court of Arbitration. Hours j of work at maiu ports were reduced i from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday I afternoon work was cancelled exceptj whare a vessel could finish by 5 p.m. ' The Waterfront Industry Commission 1 has reeeiitlv ihstituted further improveI ments ior waterside workers in the payment for statutory holidays, meal . money wliere overtime is performed, ! and time and lialf for Saturday morning in lieu of time and quarter previously paid. These improvements alone are estimated to cost approximately i £180,000 per annuin. The effeet of the ! various improvements in eonditions aiid 1 the organising of tlie- work by the com-

mission has had the result of materially eliminating the uncertain and temporary nature of waterside work. "I think it would be correct to say that under Commission controi the waterside workers have enjoyed substantial improvements in their eonditions unparaueiea in any orner period m tne History ui tne wateriront. untortunately, however, this form oi controi is jeopardised today. ' ' it is provided in the regulations that where members of the Commission are unable to reaeh a decision, the deeision of the ehairman shall be the decision of the Commission. In this case agreement could not be arrived at and in accordance with the regulations Mr. Justiee Ongley made a decision. The ell'eet of the decision is to provide for attendance payment for men attending calls of labour and not employed from the commencement of a eall. In addition the men in this key industry are guaranteed a minimum wage of £25 in each four weekly period for A grade workers and £21 in each four weeks for B grade workers. A grade workers aro guaranteed a niiniiuum incoine of £325 a yeai; and B grade workers a minimum of £273 a year. The. distribution of profits under the contraeting system will eontinue and mcaiis a further payment of some £299,000 per annuin, at the present stage an average of £40 per man per annuin for those partieipating. "I am advised that these terms have been rejected by the naticnal executive of the New Zealand Waterside Workers' Union. The eft'eet ot this action compietely nuilihes the work oi thc Waterfront Industry Commission. It is evident that if decision of the Commission properly arrived at are not to be accepted then the Conimission is of no effect and its continuance is impossible to justify."