THE WATERSIDE DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 127, 22 February 1921, Page 5

THE WATERSIDE DISPUTE

NO NEW DEVELOPMENT IDLE SHIPS IN WELLINGTON VESSELS GOING INTO THE STREAM Over a dozen vessels were idle in Wellington yesterday owing to the continued refusal of the employers to engage fresh labour until the waterside workers gave a satisfactory guarantee of intention to resume and maintain work under normal conditions. The employers made their position clear last week. they indicated' that they would not tolerate the irritation tactics of the waterside unions any linger. The next move has to come from the men’s «ide, and the Waterside Workers* Federal ion. which now has charge of the dispute on behalf of its members, has not yet communicated with the employers or made any announcement tq the public. The president and the secretary of the federation will both be in Wellington to-day. The employers engaged labour for the ferry boats yesterday morning, in accordance with their decision to keep the Inter-island ferries in operation for the present. The only other gangs at work In the port were some engaged in completing jobs started last week, before the dispute came to a head. The men employed had all refused overtime on Friday and Saturday; yesterday they practically all.accepted it. This does not change the general situation at all. The employers are seeking a guarantee of regular working all the time. Arrangements arc being made to move some of the idle ships into the stream pending the settlement of the disputeThe ships will thus escape heavy wharfage charges. Some of the big ships that are due to reach the port within tho next day or two will not. come alongside at all, but will anchor in the stream to await the time when they can commence their loading or discharge. The order issued by the employers of waterside labour that full time was to be worked on the wharves came into operation yesterday. It had been the practice of the men to cease work from ten to twenty minutes before the proper knocking-off time, and then to collect full pay under a clause of the agreement providing that broken half-horn’s wore to be paid for as full half-hours. The order was obeyed by practically all the men employe,d on the wharves yesterday. Work continued until a whistle sounded as an indication that knocking-off time had arrived. A few ironical cheers were the only indication that the whistle was an unusual event. Reference has been made by water-side workers to section b of clause 19 of the agreement, reading n« follows:— "In the case of individual men who desire to knock-off work at 5 p.m., when a vessel is working overtime, or men who desire to knock-off work at 10 p.m. when a vessel is working special overtime. the foreman or clerk in charge shall notify the min before the last call for labour for the day of his intention of working such vessel during overtime hours, and the men shall similarly notify the foreman if they are coming back to work or otherwise.”

This provision has been quoted on behalf of the men as justifying them In their refusal to work overtime. It has to be read, however, in conjunction with clause 4-1, -which provides that "the federation and the respective unions undertake that no restrictions relating to overtime work shall be permitted to be made during the currency of this agreement,” and also clause 45,- which states that the essence of the agreement is "that the work of the employer shall always proceed in the customary manner.” Tho agreement was intended to make provision for the refusal of overtime by individuals in special circumstances. But the imitation tactics employed by the unions since the bonus of 3d. an hour was refused have taken the form of the concerted refusal of overtime by large bodies of .men, thus blocking the work of the ports. Clause 19, the employers state was never intended to permit tactics of this kind to be pursued. Any suggestion that the men have been acting individually is absurd on the face of it. THE HARBOUR BOARD’S MEN POSITION OF PERMANENT STAFF. So far the hold-up has not affected the permanent staff of thei Harbour Board. Waterside labour is divided, into two distinct classes —those who work the cargo on the ships and those who work it on the wharves. Tho stevedores’ men work the ships, and the Harbour Board employs tho men on tho wharves. Unless the ships are being worked there can be no work of much moment done on tho wharves after tho cargo stored in tho sheds is delivered and everything is cleaned up. There is still a good deal of this work to bo done, but later on the board will have to decide what it will do with its permanent staff. “Casuals,” of course, have been dispensed with for the present. THE IDLE FLEET HEAVY ADDITIONS TO-DAY. The number of idle vessels in port was not materially added to yesterday. The barque Rona, with over 1000 tons of coal aboard, from Newcastle, was the oidy arrival. She did not berth, but will remain in the stream until the dispute is settled. The overseas steamers idle include the Ruahine, Northumberland, Koranui, and Pakeha, while the following coastal vessels are idle: —Waverley, Invercargill, Kapuni, Baden Powell, Wootton, Ivanna, and Komata. Several coastal vessels, including the Wakatu, Blenheim, and Wairau, yesterday discharged small amounts of perishable cargo with the help of Harbour Board labour and the crew, but they will be on the idle list to-day. It is understood that no further perishable cargo will be discharged from any but the ferry steamers. Thp Kapuni is loaded, but is waiting for bunker coal, while the Uororata is waiting to sail for Wanganui. The list of idle overseas vessels in port will be considerably added to to-day. The Athenic is due from London, the Opawa from Tokomaru Bay, the Moana from Sydney, the Garbeta from Newcastle, and the Rimutaka from Auckland. A number of coastal steamers are due within the course of a few days. It is expected that a number of idle vessels will pull into the stream shortly, and it was officially stated yesterday that arrangements will be made to-day for this to be done. The Garbeta, Rimutaka and Opawa will not berth, but, with the Rona, will anchor in the stream. Three vessels were able to sail after having IxWn delayed in port several days. The Karamu got away for Greymouth, the Ripple for Napier, and the Huia for Picton. These, with the ferry boats, were the only ships to leave port. ABSENT OFFICIALS RETURN EXPECTED TO-DAY. No statement in connection with tho trouble has yet been forthcoming from officials of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Federation. Mr. L. Glover (president of the: federation), who has been in Auckland for some days, and Mr. J- Roberts (secretary), who has beeoi jn the South Island, are both clue to arrive in Wellington to-day. Tho dispute is now in the hands of the federation, which is expected to make a declaration of its attitude before any further move m made towards a settlement.

POSITION AT DUNEDIN

ABOUT TWO HUNDRED MEN IDLE. By Telegraph —Press Association. Dunedin, February 21,

There is little change to report as regards the trouble on the waterfront so far as Dunedin is concerned. As a matter of fact, tho local union is but a pawn in the game. The executive of the Federation in Wellington is the dominating body; it issues its instructions to the various branches, and carries out various moves of the campaign on behalf of tho men. The Te Anau (from East Coast ports) and Ivaiapoi (with general cargo from Melbourne), which arrived on Saturday, have since laid idle at the wharves. The men would not give the shipowners a guarantee that they would carry on tho work of the port under the conditions prevailing before the present industrial trouble broke out, and the owners thereupon replied that no labour would be engaged till a promise was forthcoming. To-day tho seamen of the Te Anau were paid off. What is to happen to the seamen of the Ivaiapoi, Tarawera, and other vessels is not yet known. The Tarawera arrived on Sunday from Sydney and Newcastle with general cargo, and has been tied up to await a guarantee by the men. A couple of the Union Company’s permanent staff and a numberof local fruiterers were engaged this morning in unloading soma 300 cases of fruit from tho Tarawera. The action of the fruiterers was not appreciated by a number of waterside workers who looked on. Presumably they would have preferred to see the fruit rot. Work on the Calm. Corinna, and Sealda was continued. The employers decided that the unloading of these vessels should not be interfered with, and that the "guarantee” should only apply to all vessels arriving thereafter. The men had no objection to this arrangement, and work was carried on briskly. The Calm was finished shortly after midday, and sailed for Bluff, and excellent progress was made with the Corinna. Remarkable as it mny seem, the men agreed to work the Sealda to-night till 10 o’clock. On Friday night they would not work overtime on this vessel or any other ve c ’tel at Dunedin. The hnld-up on the Dunedin wharves means that about 200 men were idle today. Tho Knnna. now at Wellington, has a careo of sugar for Dunedin. When if will reach here cannot he stated, but the sugar is badly needed.