TIE-UP ON WHARVES

Chronicle (Levin), 5 March 1947, Page 5

TIE-UP ON WHARVES

Received Tuesday, 9 p.m. SYDNEY, Ala£. 4. The port of Sydney- is virtually tied up as a labour shortage of 3000 men has beeu brought about by suspeusions and the rejusal of watorsiders to o/fer for work. At three pickingup centres today the watersiders refused an offer for work because the suspensions on the men who would not work overtinie last night had not been lifted. The only fresh labour obtained in the port comprised two gangs total Jing 50 men, for tlie Wahine which arrived today with 237 passengers from Wellington. Tlie men uandled the passengers' luggage. lt is estimated tluit 100,000 tons of inter-State cargo has accumulated in niain Australian ports because of waterfront disputes. This is in addition to a siniilar tonnage of overseas cargo. Because of a dispute which has stopped production since October, Imperial Chemical lndustries is considering closing down its Botany Bay factory and reuuilding in Soutli Australia. -The factory employs 300 men and is- the largest of its type in New Soutli YVales. " We have had so .niuch trouble due to stupul militant unionists, that it seems 'rutile to. continue opeiations iu New Soutli Wales," said the technical director of the plant, Dr. F. T. Aleehan, today. Tlie strike has already caused shortages and in soru.e cases unemployment in a number of industries wliich use' eheiiiiculs as raw materials. These inelude soap and other cleansing agents, surgical djessings, absorbic acid and chiorine conipounds. The strike started when a small number of members of the Road Transport Workers' Union employed at the plant, objected to a weighbridge "clerk moving a truck during a stopwork meeting. The militants, including members of the Lronworkers' Union, seized on the in cident ty call a general stopwork meeting. They demanded the dismissal of tlie clerk and other eniployees to whom they objected, the payment of a disability allowance for handling noxious gases, and recognition of the Federal Chemical Workers' award.