SHIPPING DISPUTES

Hokitika Guardian, 5 March 1926, Page 3

SHIPPING DISPUTES

SEAMEN’S UNION THREAT. (Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.] SYDNEY. March -I. AI a meeting of the Seamen’s Union it was decided that unless the owners grant their demand for the same rates for working cargo as are paid to the waterside workers, they will give twenty-four hours’ notice of their refusal to man any of the ships working under the coastal agreement and thus make the coastal strike general. The illawarra Company to-day was compelled to employ volunteer labour at the wharf to unload the cargo of one of its vessels which returned with a volunteer crew. WAITOMO LAID UP. AUCKLAND, March I. The steamer Waitomo is to he laid up indefinitely and tlio crew have been given notice. Some of the stokehold crew still refuse to sail unless a new cook is provided, and this demand the Union . Company firmly dedeclines to grant. As no settlement is in prospect, the Company decided to lay up the vessel.

CRISIS REACHED. SYDNEY, March 3

A crisis has boon reached in the coastal shipping trade, the Seamens Vuiou having ordered its members to leave the coastal ships, the seamen giving twenty-four ’hours’ notice on tjie

ships ill port. The coastal steamship owners arc standing linn and are resolved to make it a Pinal trial of strength. It is believed the seamen received an assurance from the watorsiders that they will support the action taken by the seamen, and, as a result of the decision about lour hundred seamen and eight’ hundred watorsiders will he thrown out of work.

A motion that a conference should lie held with the owners was defeated atl tie sea men’s meeting and it was agreed the strike should not he declared oil' unless tlu* owners undertook to pay the seamen wharf labourers’ rates for doing wharf labourers' work. The Union of Cooks ami Stewards have also refused duty on ships manned bv volunteers.

The Secretary of the Coastal Steamship Owners’ Association says that every question at issue in the present strike was raised by the Seamen’s Union representatives in Melbourne prior to the agreement reached in August last. The owners refused to consider an alteration to tho award. The representatives of the union, therefore, abandoned the claim, for an alteration and on the good faith of this, a settlement was effected.