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Chronicle (Levin), 10 March 1948, Page 7

AUCKLAND, March y.. Fuxther postpOHeinents of sailing dates froma Auckland for Britain of tliree large eargo and passenger liners were announced to-day- by the shippmg eompanifis. The delays are caiised by the refusal of the Auckland waterside workers to aecept overtime. and mvolve the Akaroa, Athenic and Eangitata. The 'new sailing dates are Btiilregarded as tentative. The Akaroa is listed jto sail for London on March 22 with about 200 passengers, the Athenic is to leave for Glasgow on Alarch 2'6 with 80 passengers and the Rangitata is to sail for London 'op April 17 with about 800 passengers. All will take heavy produce cargoes. The nianager of the Port of Auckland Shipping and tstevedores Association (Mr. Ed C. Buseke)- stated that 5 1 working hours had been lost up to-day by the union's refusal to aecept overtime. Tliis was equivalent to a week's noriual working tiine. Only oue day's work had been lost through rain this year. The. union at Auckland hau lield "six unauthorised stopwork meetings and as a resnit the pprt had lost 121 hours ' working time. This tiing ineluded a full day's work lost by the decision not to return to work at all on Moiulay. At the two regular month%ly stopwork meetings the time lost through an extension of the prescribed length 'of the meetiug totalled another four hours making a total of 10i hours. A call for labour for the preferenee ship Mount Park was made this moming. Discs were first put out at the labour eiigagemeht burpau for the 127 men who were dismissed from the ship on F'ebniary -20 for1 refusing to shift Ihe hatvhes and who liave not aeceptcd work since. They again refused to lift their' discs and were placed once morc on peiialtv for tliree davsl The discs were tlien displaye-1 for another 100 men as replacements for t'hc Mount Park, but they did not accept labour and wero, placed on penalt'y Ijor two davs. The coastal motor vessel Pukeko moved to the eity waterfrout from ('alliope Dock and joined seven other overseas and coasial ships which are idle as a result of the Waterfront Industry Commissicu's declaration tliat the LMount Park must be manned lirst.