TOO FEW UNIONISTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 616, 19 March 1929, Page 16

TOO FEW UNIONISTS

CASUAL WORKERS’ CLAIM DISPUTE ON WATERFRONT Press Association WANGANUI, Monday. That there are too few unionist waterside workers at Wanganui for the work offering is the claim advanced by non-unionists, who demand that the membership be enlarged, or that the preference clause, which states that non-unionists must be replaced at the first break after union labour becomes available, should be suspended. On Saturday there was a good deal of labour wanted, and there were not sufficient unionists at the call to handle it. Casual workers were accordingly employed to make up the required number of gangs. Later in the day, however, some of the unionists finished their job and at the next break were put on to replace non-union workers who had been handling cargo on another vessel. Some casual labour was still required, but no non-unionist took work and the vessels could not be worked to full capacity. At the 8 o’clock call this morning similar conditions resulted, all the casuals refusing work and none but unionists did any work all day, about 100 casuals standing by in idleness. They declared they would not accept jobs if they were to be replaced by unionists before they had finished. This caused considerable inconvenience and some delay to several coastal vessels. At the 5 o’clock call, however, the non-unionists signified their intention of accepting any work offering tomorrow.