THE KNOCK-OUT BLOW.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1937, 20 December 1913, Page 6

THE KNOCK-OUT BLOW.

SEAMEN & FIREMEN RESUME, THREE YEAR'S COMPACT. UNDER ARBITRATION ACT. At 4 p.m. yesterday tho seamen's striko w;is officially declared off, and there was a general rush of workers towards the Queen's Wharf main cntranco a lew minjtes later. It is understood that tho voting was 700 in favour of returning to work and four against. During tlio course of yesterday afternoon an adjourned mooting of the Wellington branch of tho Seamen's Union was held in tho Skating it ink; proceedings beginning at 2 p.m. At about 3.30 p.m. tho men commenced to filo out, and tho news sooi} spread that the strike, as far as they were concerned, was over. Some of tho men made all hasto towards tho Union Company's offices and applied for tlieir old positions. AH were excited, and when tho officials stated that they had no knowledge of tho stj-iko being ended some of tho men called out excitely that ihey wore going back to work. At 4.13 p.m. tho following notico was posted up outside the offices of the Seamen's Union:—

To the Members of the Union and others interested —-Wo the undersigned delegates of the Federated Seamen's Union, representing the above organisation in Now Zealand, hereby officially intimate that tho striko of seamen is now declared off, and that all members of the organisation are freo to accept employment and ship from 4 p.m. to-day (Friday), Dcccmbor 19, 1913. Signed— W. CLARKE, F. C. SMITH, Dunedin Delegates. JAS. JACK, E. MACKIE, Auckland Delegates. JOHN BAKER, JAMES SHEPHERD, Wellington Delegates. THE ACREEMENT. FULL TEXT OF THE DOCUMENT. Subsequently tho delegates mot the shipowners' representatives in tlio Union Company's buildings, and the following agreement was signed by both parties: — . 1. Subject to agreement being arrived at between the parties,' the Minister of Marino bo requested to reinstate tho Shipping Act suspended by his authoritv. 2. That the agreement as to wages and other conditions of employment dated Wellington, January 24, 1912, shall, as soon as possible (subject to tho consequential alteration of the dates in Clauses 32 and 33, and the deletion of all tho words after tho word "Aparima" in Clanso 33 of tho said agreement) bo renewed for a term ending December 31, December 191 G. 3. Tho Auckland branch of tho Federated Seamen's Union of Australasia to remain registered under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act and tho Dunedin and Wellington >branches undertake to register under tho samo Act forthwith. 4. When renewed tho aforesaid referred to agreements to bo registered at Auckland, AVellinsrton, and Dunedin under tho 'Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act as industrial agreements.

5. The Federated Seamen's Union of Australasia undertakes that its members will, from the date of this agreement, accept employment on any of tho ships on the terms contained in tlio said agreement dated January 24, 1012, and (subject to their rights in terms of the Shipping: Act and agreement referred to iiorcin), that sucli members will not refuse to remain in such employment or to perform their usual duties on board ships 'in accordanco with law and their Articles of Agreement. G. That the steamship owners undertake, that as far as reasonably possible the members of the Federated Seamen's Union, if they so desire, go back to tho shins they left, provided the said ships and men are in the same port on tlio resumption of work by the seamen, and that they (the owners) will instruct their ships' officers accordingly. 7. The Federated Seamen's Union of Australasia undertakes that any legally qualified men for Home trade, intercolonial, or foreign trading ships cmnloyed by the steamship, owners between October 22, 1913 and tho date hereof shall bo permitted to join any branch of tho above-named union on payment of tho entrance fee and shall, provided they, are financial members, not be subjected to any differential treatment as compared with tho other members of the said union. 8. The Northern Steam Ship Company, Limited, Auckland, agrees that, subject to the following variations, it will not malm any agreement with the new Auckland Seamen's and Firemen's Union on terms other than those contained in tho Seamen's agreement dated Wellington, January 24, 1912. Tlio variations are:-— (a) Bv adding tho following proviso to Clause 5 of the said agreement: Tlio provisions of this clause as to'payment of an extra day's sea pay when a vessel leaves Auckland on a Sunday shall not apply to the steamers Waimarie, Toniwha, or Kanieri whilst engaged in their present trades or to any vessels of tlio same character trading in substitution for tho said vessels. (b) Clause 31 of tho said agreement dated Wellington, January 21, 1912, to be amended by striking out the words from "steamers trading . . ." to "tho said vessels," and substituting the following: "Steamers trading within river or extended river limits and the Northern Steam Ship Company's steamers trading between Auckland and the East Coast ports. (c) That employment in the Northern Steam Ship Company's' steamers will bo open to members of the Federated Seamen's Union of Australasia as well as to tho members oF, the Auckland Seamen's and Union.

9. On the representatives of the steamship owners and Federated Seamoil's Union of Australasia agreeing to the foregoing terms the.v shall immediately bo submitted to the members of the paid union for approval and on ratification by them tlio members of tho said >1111011 shall immediately return to employment in tho ships (and subject to tho provisions of Clatiso 8 hereof), on tho conditions prevailing prior to ceasing work-. (Signed) JAMES JACK, EDWARD MACKIE Auckland Delegates. F. C. SMITH, W. CLARKE, Duncdin Delegates. J. T. BAKER. JAMES SHEPHERD, Wellington Delegates. D. A. AITKT3N, Assistant General Manager Union Steam Ship Company. W. E. FULLER, Chairman, and W. BENNETT. Wellington Branch of tho Ship owners' Federation. W. PRYOR, Secretary Wellington Branch Ship owners' Federation. The new agreement is practically a facsimile oT tho old agreement, with tlm exception that tho term is for threo years, ending December 31, If) 10, and registration under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act is provided for.