WATERFRONT DISPUTE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5326, 12 February 1947, Page 5

WATERFRONT DISPUTE

'PriRt^Assn.-

DEVELOPMENT expected within few days

—By Telegraph — Copyright.) ■

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Negotiations to find a basis , fcv settlement of the waterfi'ont. di- pufe are believed certain to be aUempted in the next day oi* two befor.e the national executive of the Waterside Workers' TJnion feaches the point of decid^inp; whether to take drastic action to enforce its w'ages and other claims. The waterf ront crisis is mounting behind a wall of official silence. fi'he union executive, led by the national prcsident. Mr. jpT. Baraes, of Auck* land, is meeting here this afternoon and for as much longer as it need3 to decide its future policy. It has A m-ndate from the memhership of tlie union to take whatever action it feels nr "•essary on their behalf. Observers believe that the ftiove to open negotiations will come from tlm Government. It is understodd Hat the Government has for some time been prepared to talk over with tho union the question of the future orTanisation of the industry as a rr -.ult of the breakdown of the Waterfront Industry Commission. The unicn, however, is believed to Hoce greater urgency on its actual demands, aiid the Government so far appears to have been reluctant to discuss these directly. 'Although some newspapers have .irredicted widespread stoppage a* halng imminent in the transpoft industry as a v/hole, the threafof this happening remained to-day ' nrore apparent than real. now pppears to depend entirely on how far the Government may he able ®nd prepared to go in satisfying the union executive that it will help them get a favourable adjustment ; of their conditions. If the Government needed an indi-cat-ion of .ihe mood in which the wrtterside leaders gathered to-day. to review their pdlicy, it could . find •Lar enough hints in the latest issue the union's journal, the New Zea- !:• id Transport Worker, which hegan to circulate this morning "round the Wellington wharves. It full of advice, some blunt and some subtle, to the Government and the executive of the Federation of T ibour. It interprets the recent special conference cf the federation as a vic- ' 'iry for the watersiders' cause and shows clearly that the union. is now more confident than ever that time ■-"11 prove it to have struck the firs.t hnnortant blow for improved condilions in the trade, union mo-vement ■-"u a v/hole. "To the credit of our own union members and those who supported ■'« in this struggle, the purpose of conference was not aehieved," wiher. the national president, Mr. Brmes. "Instead of iso-lating us rom the rest of the trade union m wement. the i*everse was accomph'shed. The longer it wqnt the stronger we got. A mighty blow was. struck for decency and the common t cople/4