WATERSIDE DISPUTE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 29 November 1927, Page 5

WATERSIDE DISPUTE

MEN’S COMMITTEE MEETS PREPARED TO NEGOTIATE. OWNERS STAND BY ULTIMATUM IBy Cable —Press Asen. — Copyright.) (Received 29. 11.5 a.m.) Melbourne, Nov. 39. At a meeting of the watersiders' management committee tears were expressed that, if the shipowner# carried out their threat to tie up the ships in the event of their demands being disregarded bv the watersiders, the dispute would reach a stage which was not contemplated by flip union when the original overtime strike was given effect to. Later, the committee announced that although no replv had yet been received from the Shipowners’ Union it was still prepared to negotiate with the object of endeavouring to arrive at a settlement, in order to obviate the taking of drastic measures contemplated by the shipowners.

Port Phillip stevedores in the Port of Melbourne decided to support the watersiders’ strike.

Representatives of the shipowners stated that they will refuse to confer with the delegates of the watersiders even if the men decide to return on normal conditions on Wednesday. The owners will hold to the letter of their ultimatum and if the men decide to resume on Wednesday the owners will not open any negotiations until the matte • runes before the Arbitration Court. The terms of the awards and agreements will have to be honoured until the matter is before the court.

SEAMEN MAY BE INVOLVED.

_ , Sydney, Nov. 28. Prevalent waterside opinion is that, unless a settlement is reached before Wednesday, the result of the ship, owners’ ultimatum will be that the Watersiders’ Federation’s committee will declare all overseas and interstate ships black, thus involving the seamen, The watersiders claim that the trouble can be averted if the owners agree to a conference, enabling the men to express their grievances and have them adjusted. The owners reply that the federation, having declared that the resumption of normal work under existing conditions now impossible, has now, in seeking a conference, thrown off the mask of the pretended desire to reach the Arbitration Court, w'hich was actually the very last thing it desired.

The Union Company’s steamer Kiwitea has been placed on the black list at Newcastle, where she arrived with a load of zinc from Hobart. The wharf labourers refuse to unload the cargo because it was loaded by the zinc company’s own employees.