THE LATEST WHARF TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1886, 22 October 1913, Page 6

THE LATEST WHARF TROUBLE

* The Wellington Harbour Board is faucd with another wharf labour trouble, and it is to bo hoped that it will on. the present occasion deal with the situation in a firm and decisive manner. If the Waterside Workers' Union is to be allowed to ignore its agreements whenever it thinks fit, and to delay the shipping business of the port on the most trivial pretext, there is no sense in having any agreements at all, and the board will have to take steps to protect- the interests of the port and the public without regard for the union. It is intolerable that, the working of cargo should be blocked, and merchants, harbour officials, and others put to 'serious inconvenience merely uecause the Waterside Workers' Union deems it necessary to hold a "stopwork" meeting in business hours to discuss a dispute between ' the shipwrights and their employers —a matter having nothing to clo with wharf .work. Such methods are contrary to reason and common sense, and show an utter disregard of all sense of responsibility. The fact that an agreement is in existence which expressly provides against such stoppages of work is contemptuously brushed aside, and no notice whatever is taken of the committee specially set up to deal with any dispute that may arise. The chairman of tho Harbour Board (Mr.\ Fletcher), in mentioning this fact yesterday, declared that- "it seems futile to hope for any assurance from thc_ men that they will carry out their obligations and promises," Such a confession from such a source proves beyond doubt that it is absolutely necessary that something should be done at oncc to place the handling of cargo on tho wharves on a more satisfactory footing. As far as the present {rouble is concerned. Me. Fletcher states that if the union declines to go to work this morning, then tho wharfinger will have to employ whatever labour is available. The executive of the board has no option in the matter, as the board has already decided on this course should' events render it inevitable. The permanent staff can be called upon, if necessary, Jo carry on tho work, and it is to be Hoped that there will be no repetition of what occurred when a similar emergency arose not long ago. In any case the board must bo fully pre- : pared to meet the situation, and to mako uso of every legitimate means of overcoming any difficulties that may arise if the Waterside Workers' Union persists in its determination to hold its "stopwork" meeting. The workers arc entitled to adequate pay and fair treatment from their employers, but in return the employers ought to be able to rely on them to do their work in a proper and regular manner, and to faithfully abide by any agreement they may enter into. We cannot indeed believe that ; the majority of the union members endorse the stupid proposal to hold ; the meeting this morning in the manner planned. It seems more like- < ly to be the result of the action of some blundering or over-zealous official. Mr. Fletcher states that if ' there is any serious inconvenicnce ! to tho public to-day the onus will , not be on the board but on the Water- . side Workers' Union and tho men . •themselves. That is>true; but it does not relieve the board of the responsi- ! bility of doing its utmost to mini- \ mise any inconvenicnce that may ] arise on the present occasion, and 1 of providing as effectively ,4s pos- i sible against a recurrencc of 'similar I troubles in the future. < . . t ,