NORMAL WORK AT LYTTELTON

Chronicle (Levin), 8 January 1947, Page 8

NORMAL WORK AT LYTTELTON

CHRISTCHURCH, .Tan. 7. Although work on the waterfront at HyHelton proceecleil normally between 8 a,m. ancl 5 p.m. todav no overtime was worked m the evening. The waterside workers were ordered back for 6 p.m. but declined to work. The question of rates of pay for waterside work todav was not raised otticially by either the Waterside Workers Union or tl,ie ship owners. ' By the order issued by the Govern ment on Monday evening cooperative cargo handling contracts were cancelled ancl as from this morning the shipowu ers were operating' on the nnderstand ing that the workers were being paid on an hourlv basis by them and not on a tonnage basis Eu'ii on the restricted 40 hours of work a week the loss iri wages to workers will be at least. £1 3s ld veekly through Ihe loss of the Remus distribution of cargo handled on tJie ^■ontract basis. The ])rofit eamed by the •varersiders reccmlly at Lyttelton in ad lition to their normal rate of pay of 3s 5.1 d per hour for work between 8 a.m. :ind 5 p.m, 1ms worked out at about 7d an hour. The bonus rate has been the same wlien penal rates have been ,>nid for c)\ertime. No shorlagc: of labour was experi enccid at Lyttelton todav vhen the Waterfront ' Iuduslry Commission 's bureau engaged workers for the day, which was not a particularlv busy oue in the port. A nutnber of ' ' sea-gtdls ' or non-uniouists wero einployed. from i allies made tlu1 cargo Imndling rate vvas normal. Tho loadi ng of wool on the Daleros? •a as coinpleted and the ship saiiod in Ihe al'tei'iioon for Timaru from wliei'o she will go to Dunedin. The coastal •heamer Storm also linish.ed loading and --.ailed in the evening. The Sliaw Sayill and Albion motorship AVaiwere, wliicli was originall v diverted troiu Auckland to Wellington be.cause of the congestion of shipping at Auckland, arrived this morning and was lullv manned for disclmrging general cargo. Other ves ■eels whiidi wero manned were the Kopara, Kookalmrra (landing Austral ian hardwoods and general cargo), thc ; . r c\sR- .\NTyi li Ln and Kaiwa'rra. : Tvntl K'annu, - j V' - '' "/s " T h e Ix^gtiE r :||i ee tiug 'of of the Lyt toltou'. W^tcM'md^^cufe^i^i, Union wiis held'in meFhlhg^artd; fius" iness Otlier tlmn Ihe -waterfront dispute was diseussed. The opinion at Lyttelton is that no marked change in the situation is likelv t o oceur until aftor

• the national exeeutive of the New Zea i land Waterside Workers' Fnion meets !in Wellington next Tuesday. 1 •