DIRT MONEY ON WHARF

Chronicle (Levin), 23 April 1949, Page 5

DIRT MONEY ON WHARF

Refeiailions Abojiit Wnrk . At Auckland .AUCKLAND, April 22. ' Although the .Waterfron^ Industry GommissioU .recently increased kpeciai rates for handi.ing dirty, smelly 'or otherwise inconverliont ox dangerous cargoes by between ; v50 and 100 'per cent., waterside workefss axe claiming ' 'exceptional circumstanCb.s'"' and high er, penal rates on many typv;S o'f cargo' loaded oi" discharged at AufeKl&nd. .And in most cases these claimS aYtJ -being met in part or in whole. In ' some cases WatersiderS are bb'ing paid more than 300 jer cent. the peil3^ rates paid to other workers handling the same cargoes either'in stores oi processing plants, or cartfeig thqm. Jffic Drivers' and the Storemen and Pack ers' Unions are now seeking extra dirc,inconvenience or danger money to bnng them in line with the watersidets. Some of the elaims filed by the watersiders appcar ludicrous' to maaj other workers. For example, water siders working a sugar ship ..at Chelsea asked- for " bee nuisance money,' claiming that bees buzzing round spilt sugar on tjie decks and wharf justified • extra payment. Their claim was not met. - W'inehmen recently complained thal the winches they were asked to.operatc were excessively noisy -and vibram. They received 3d an hour extra. Watersiders have claimed ;extra pay ment beeause ropes and running gear have been disty and greasy and fouleo their hands and have been granted extra penalty rates. Very few types of cargo are not now classified by the Waterfront In'dustry. Commission as warranting extra payment. But although the rates have been brought up to date, there are few re corded cases v/here the watersiders have accepted them. Although the general manager of the commission, Mr. A. E. Bockett, stated that the speeial rates were to cover all inconvenienees and could be departed from only in "exceptional circumstances," the large file of claims shows that the majority oi circumstances are considered "exceptional' ' by the watersiders. It is recorded that iu most cases men diseharging a certain type of coal art allowed 8d per hour dirt money abovv their basic rate of 3s lOd, but art actually receiving ls 6d to 2s an hour extra. Phosphate, whieh carries a penalty dirt rate of ls an hour? is being claimed as exeeptionaliy dirty ano is being unloaded at ls 4d extra ai. hour and sometimes more. Watersiders are being granted anvthing up to 2s 6i an hour extra to unload b'asie slag which carries a penalty rate of ls an hour. Other workers handling the same cargoes, however, get considerably less. Drivers receive ld a ton extra on man ,ures and storemen get 3d an hour Workers in fertiliser plaftis, hay^ beeq "paid as much as lOd an hour.pxlra fOr handling particularly dirty phosphate. but never more. The norma! dirt ratf is 4|d an hour. Beeause the* priee oi the manui actured product is stabiiised, there are rarely any variation^, in the.M rates and they. are accepted by-'the men who nevertheless want more to bring them.in line with the watersiders. If watersiders, arriviUg on a job consider exceptional circumstances war rant extra money, their walking - delegate makes a formal claim to the agents' foreman oh the ship. If tht foreman does not consider the clain justifiable it is referred to a speeiaJ port committee eonsisting of one union representative, oue employer's repre sentative and a comiqission ehairman. This committee 's decision is finkl and is not subject to appeal. Records of claims filed this year shov that in the majority of cases theso committees have granted speeial ratev although payments are invariably lower than those ffilaimed by the workers. Once a claim has been granted for a per tain ship it does not follow that a rate has been set for the remainder oi the ship 's stay in «port. Rates periodically eome up for review and may be , increased if, in the opinion of the com mittee, the inconvenience is either greater or less.