WATERFRONT COMMISSION'S POWERS SUSPENDED

Chronicle (Levin), 7 January 1947, Page 8

WATERFRONT COMMISSION'S POWERS SUSPENDED

—Press Association

By Telegrctph-

wbllimtdn, rah. 6. Calls for overtime work ,6n the Wetlmgtoa waterfront this evening- weire refused by llhe wafersielers who ignored the Government's. ultimatum. A Christchurch message states that althoiigh waterside labour at Lyttelton was ordered back for six o'cloek tonight and althdhgh the" six o'clock whistle blew as usual the proceedings V/eTfe -jiist a formaiity, for there was no response by the watersiflefs aird hohe was expected. There were rumours also that the men would refuse to work at all tomorrow. There is Jittle support for these rumours. however, and it is expected that the men will in the me'antime 'contihlte to work restricted hours. When. ,questionecl tpday .as. to what would happen tomprrow the "secretary of the Lyttelton branch of the uiiion ('Mr. j. Flood) declined to make any statement: ''Let toftiorrbw t'ake care of itself," he s'aid. A Dunedin massage states : No work was done on the Dunedin waterfront tonight. Labour Was called for two ships at '6 p.m.> but the wharves were then almost deserted and th'ere wa's no response. The secretary of the Dunedin Watersiders ' Uhion said: "The union is just standing by," beyond which he would make no^ comment on the position. threat OF "blacic" ban at auckland An Auckland message says: In. spite of the expiry of the Government's ultimatum the Auckland- waterside workers refused to undertake overtime tonight. ' Following a meeting of its cxecutive the Auckland Waterside Workers' Union by telephone informed the shipping companies and Captain H. Ruegg, branch manager of the Waterfront Industry CommisSion, that it wOuld not depart from the 40-hour week. According to representatives of thfe sbipping coihpahieS the union spokesman added that orders for overtime work had been given for some ships, but any ships Which were Worked WOuld be declared "black." This advice v/as given to the companies abcut t.hree o'clock. Preparations were made bythe companies for the evening shift and the men Were asked to work but there was a 100 per cent refusal. There was no call for non-union labour to replace the watersiders who had refused overtime. Mr. Barnes refused to make any statement. When approached at the gates he Would not comment on the day's happenings and declined to say whether or 'not his union had advised other organisations apart from the shipping companies or the Commission of its stand. Ahout 2000, men were required for the everimg sh'ift although a large numher of non-unionists were employed during the day. The port was still short of 120 men. Workers on annual holidays totalled 130 and there were ahout 500 hthers who were not availahle because of sickness and other reasons. The union has about 1900 members. Content to await the Government's next move the shipping | companies took no further action after the men had' refused t'o ! work. A representative said that non-unionists would be placed j in an invidious position if they were asked to work. ' Fifteen overseas ships, three of them lying in the stream, filied the eongested port and there are seven large coastal and intercolonial vessels also in port.