Overtime Strike

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 210, 24 November 1927, Page 11

Overtime Strike

WIDESPREAD DISLOCATION Fears in Australia By Cable. — Press Association. — Copyi'ight. Received 9.30 a.m. MELBOURNE, Wednesday. T’HS Management Committee of the Waterside Workers’ A Federation met and considered the strike situation. No official statement has been issued, but it is learned that union officials decided not to take any definite action to extend the trouble pending the result of the conference between the shipowners’ representatives and the union.

IT is stated that deliberations will be A continued to-day, when it is expected that some step will be taken, with a view to a settlement of the dispute. It is understood the waters iders decided that if nothing were done to arrange a conference between the parties to the dispute, the threat to resort to direction action in declaring different vessels black would be carried out. The Australasian Council of Trades Unions meets to-day co discuss the position, and any decision reached by this body w ; !l have an important bearing on the future conduct of the strike, as the whole of the State Labour Councils with the exception of Western Australia will be represented.

The Oversea Shipping Representatives’ Association has issued a statement which says that the shipping interests made every possible effort to find an honourable way of avoiding the widespread dislocation which the Water sider s’ Federation is hourly bringing nearer. The task is more difficult than finding a secure foothold in quicksand. The statement proceeds: “The union declares that it is deliberately crippling Australian and oversea shipping in order to obtain a hearing by the Arbitration Court, or to force the shipowners into an agreement by a conference.

I “Actually, the facts are that the federation had every assistance and opportunity from the court, and a friendly hearing from the association. In both cases ?ts refusal to abide by the past award, or give reasonable guarantees for the future, made proceedings a jest. “In one case the judge recognised the absurdity of making a new award when the old one was being contemptuously disregarded, and the oversea shipping representatives* association was forced to recognise that no agreement of any nature would be binding for one second.” —A. and N.Z CONCERN IN TASMANIA MESSAGE TO MR. BRUCE Reed. 11.20 a.m. HOBART, To-day. The Premier, the Hon. J. A. L,yons, has telegraphed Mr. Stanley Bruce, Commonwealth Prime Minister, drawing attention to the disastrous position likely to arise in Tasmania unless the watersiders’ overtime dispute is settled. He referred to the possibility of closing the Electrolytic Zinc Company’s works, the serious loss to the fruit trade, and the grave interference with tourist traffic. — A. and N.Z.