WATERSIDE LABOUR

Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1930, Page 5

WATERSIDE LABOUR

THE UNION’S PROPOSALS

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.l

AUCKLAND, Oct. 16,

A special eommiftee of the Auckland AVatersiders Union has submitted an scheme for engaging waterfront labour. The. scheme is based on the finding of a special committee iseit up by tin; 'Belgian Government, and provides for si division of workers into groups and the provision of each man with a disc. When 'notified iby the Company that a number of men 'are required, the Union official will take the eqnivalont. number of discs from the group’s disc container and hang them in the engagement board. The removal of the discs will be taken as an indication that those men have accepted engagement. When men are discharged their discs are returned to the containers.

In submitting the report the committe says that under an ideal scheme “there would be no .strife or envying of each other of all big jobs, and no necessity for men to bring down ducks to foremen who engage labour. Your committee frankly admits you were never fit to have a better system. Your carelessness, your idleness, your downright selfishness, are at the bottom of the mischief the Union has tumbled into ill regard to the engagement of labour, 'Any mem bar imust ifonestfy confess that the present system is unfair and unreasonable, that it fosters all kinds of subterfuge, bribery and crawling. .Surely we can devise a better system whereby the whole membership can be assured of earning some money.