COOKS SEEK CONFERENCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 361, 23 May 1928, Page 9

COOKS SEEK CONFERENCE

SHIPOWNERS STAND BY DECLARATION DISCUSS DETAILS WHEN SHIPS ARE MANNED (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian Press Association.) Reed. 9.35 a.m. MELBOURNE. To-day. THE Shipowners’ Association has received a telegram from Mr. J. Tudehope, secretary of the Cooks' Union, requesting a conference to discuss settlement of the dispute, and declaring that the Trades Union Council has no authority to act on the cooks’ behalf. The shipowners’ secretary, Mr. Elford, replied: "We will meet your representatives, with or without the representatives of other bodies, to discuss a settlement. We have already informed you on two occasions of the terms on which we are ready to engage your members. These take nothing away from you to which you were previously entitled; but after the ships of all the members of my organisation are fully manned, if there is any difficulty in regard to the details, we are prepared to give consideration to any suggestion you may make."

A meeting of the combined committee of the maritime unions and the Trades Union Council passed a resolution to resist to the utmost any attempt by the employers to engage non-union labour for the ships; also to resist abolition of the roster system, which has been for years a condition of employment, as well as a clause of the cooks' union rules; and pointing out that before the owners got their way in this matter the Arbitration Court should be consulted. At Sydney, Mr. Tudehope strongly defended the action of the cooks in refusing mediation by the Australian and New Zealand Council of Trades Unions. Mr. Tudehope said his union did not recognise the authority of the Trades Union Council to intervene in the matter without the consent of the organisation directly concerned. His union intended to notify the owners that the Trades Union Council was acting without the authority of the cooks and that the latter were now going to attempt to arrange a conference to discuss the question of the abolition of the roster system and other terms.

A message from Melbourne says that in spite of the fact that the cooi:s have repudiated the intervention of the Trades Union Council -it is expected that the latter will endeavour to reopen negotiations with the owners. If the cooks' leaders continu? to refuse to recognise the council s authority, that body will conclude terms pf settlement with the owners and take the control of the dispute out of the hands of the cooks’ leaders. Another inter-State passenger steamer, the Dimboola, is to be laid up by her owners, as a result of the cooks’ strike. The crew will be given 24 hours’ notice, on the arrival of the ship from West Australia.