WATERSIDE CONTRACT

Evening Star, Issue 23682, 16 September 1940, Page 2

WATERSIDE CONTRACT

THE WELLINGTON WRANGLE [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, September 14. Replying to the charge of inconsistency made against him by Mr R. E. Price, tho chairman of the Waterfront Control Commission, Mr T. N. Warren, the Wellington Harbour Board employees’ representative on the Board of Control, states : “ At tho outset I beg to apologise to Mr Price for having apparently outraged his fine sense of literary accuracy and hasten to extend humble thanks for his kindly advice. We are, howover, not dealing with theoretical or academic issues, but with plain facts. The union claims that all its members who assist in the work are entitled to participate in any monetary benefits that accrue from tho speed-up effort. Tliis surely cannot be construed into a complaint that tho blessings of the contract do not apply to all waterside workers. It is merely the just claim of the men who are compelled to work under this system. “ After the system has been in operation for some three months, we receive, at the urgent request of the union, what Mr Price terms a copy _of the agreement. Does Mr Price imagine that the union accepts those brief notes as an agreement on a matter of such vital importance P Tho union claims that as a party to the contract tho full facts of agreement should be _ placed before it for amendment or rejection, and it protests against tho arbitrary acceptance of the present so-called cooperative contract. The decision reached was unanimously endorsed by the 700 members at the meeting.” [Mr Price’s statement was as follows: —“ The Waterfront Control Commission has been negotiating a separate agreement with the Wellington Harbour Board to cover those men employed by it on the wharf to work with the men on the ship. The difficulties which delayed tho completion of this contract have been overcome, and it is expected that the contract will be completed before the end of this month. Regarding union complaints about a lack of knowledge of the contract, a complete copy was posted to tho executive last week in time for the stop-work meeting at which tho protest was made.”]