MORE PORTS AFFECTED

Chronicle (Levin), 22 July 1949, Page 7

MORE PORTS AFFECTED

Press Assoctation >

Minister Takes Action In Retaliation

(Pmr

WELLINGTON, July 21. The Minister of Labour, Mr. McLagan, said- tonight that as members of the Wateiiside Workers' Union at Dunedin and Port'Chalmers had followed a-policy of idisobedience to the eommission 's • -orders by restricting. hours of work, the Go vrernment had suspended the powers of the Water-' front Industry Commission and ' Waterfront lndnstry Authority at • thoSe ports as from today. •!- " ; With the extension of the o,ver- . tiihe strike to Dunedin and Port Ch'almers, over three-quarters of the union membefship was now carrying out a policy of dishonouring the pledge given by the union to accept the eommission 's decisions. The Government was not prepared to accept a position whereby the national council of the union dictated that hours of work should be restricted at certain ports and normal hours should apply at other ports to en- , able the benefits of the guaranteed daily .and wg-ekly minimum, payments to be ehjoyed by mem- ; bers. , -• , ; "Unless members at poifs which have not restricted hours pf work , actively disassociate themselves from this breach of the union 's agreement, the Government will consider them as being also responsible for the union 's policy and will be compelled to suspend the eommission form of control .at all ports," said Mr McLagan. The Government believed that a policy of restricted hours was contrary to the wishes of a very large number of watersiders throughout 'New Zealand and could only result in serious losses , to union members as well as a dislocatiph, oi fran^port an.cl^great - inconvehienee fd the commuiiity.;! ThJei'--Gotvernnihhtr-* wbttld^' T^gfet V ... t-m-, ■! ■ havmg to ' spsp encj^ ' corniniss] on control as thif^ /would ;piean »itemporary failure in ''the' Gxperiment of worker participation in tho management of theyndustry. The sole respohsibility for the loss of eommission control of the waterfront, if it? were lost, would *-est on 1ihe who had made it impossible for, that form of control to continue.