ANOTHER REPLY TO MR. BARNES

Chronicle (Levin), 7 December 1946, Page 7

ANOTHER REPLY TO MR. BARNES

WELLINGTON, Dec. G. Commenting on tlie statement of .\ir. H. Barnes, president of the Waterside Workers' Union, that it was the unconciliatory attitude of the employers' representatives on tlie Coniinission which resulted in tlie deadlock being reached at Wednesday's meeting, Messrs. Almond and Belford, employers' representatives, pointed out tonight that the position was siniply tliat Alr. Barnes tabled a tvpewritten statenient liolifying the Coniinission that until a docision on Ihe guaranteed wage satisfactory to tlie union was given and certain otlier concessions were made a 10-hour week and an overtime strike wuuld be imposed by the union. ' The employers' representatives took the view tliat tlie ilecision of the cliairmaii ou the guaranteed wage was sound and lawi'ul, and as the union 's representatives had aiinounced that tlie.v would only accept a decision satisfactory to them, lo suggest that tlie cliairiuan 's decision be srrappeil and the whole inattor reopened placed tlie employers' representatives in an impossible position. This meaut tliat. unless they- were preparcd to accept wliat Ihe union 's representatives considered was salisfactory to Ihe union, the decision would again be left to tho chairman, and his docision was alreaily made and rejocted by the union. In any case tliere was no justincation for an overtime strike having been instituted to force an alteration to the decision, and no selfrespecting commission could deal with a matter while the strike continued. In the opinion of Messrs. Almond and Belford, the waterside leaders have made it abundantlv clear that they had no time for the commission. They felt that the union leaders must know they cannot have a commission which will sign on the dotted line every tinui the big stick is raised, and therefore it appeared tliat what the waterside leaders really wanted was to wreck commission control in the same wav as the last conmiission was wrecked.