WATERSIDE WORKERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1921, Page 5

WATERSIDE WORKERS.

EMPLOYERS’ OFFER OF BONUS. REJECTED AT NEW PLYMOUTH. YESTERDAY’S STOP-WORK I MEETING. * Meetings the Waterside Workers’ Unions of the Dominion were held at every port in New Zealand yesterday to consider the offer of a bonus made at a conference in Wellington last month. The meeting of the New Plymouth branch of the Watersiders’ Federation was held at the port at eight o’clock yesterday morning, and was attended by 69 members of the union. The offer of the employers which was before the meeting was a bonus of Id per hour on a flat rate. The employers’ original offer was £d per hour for all time worked, but this offer was rejected by the Federation, and a fresh offer of Id per hour was made by the employers. At yesterday’s meeting at New Plymouth, in common with all other; meetings in New Zealand, a ballot was taken on the rejection or acceptance of the offer, and although the exact results of the ballot are not yet available, the papers having to be sent to Wellington, Federation officials in New Plymouth told a Daily News reporter that the employers’ offer would be rejected practically unanimously. ' Against the employers’ offer of Id per hour flat rate for all time worked, the Federation’s demand is for an increase of 3d per hour ordinary time, 4d per hour overtime, and 6d per hour for special overtime, viz., work after 10 o’clock at night. The difference between the employers’ offer and the workers’ demand is very marked, and the Daily News representative was led to believe that th<? offer will be rejected by all waterside unions, in New Zealand. The ultimate result will not be known for some days, as the results of the ballots will be forwarded to the Federation’s headquarters. AUCKLAND MEETING. LONG DISCUSSION ENSUES. BALLOT NOT COMPLETE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. A stop work meeting of the Auckland Waterside Workers’ Union was held this morning to consider the offer made by the employers in the Dominion generally to delegates of the unions on the subject of the November cost of living bonus. * When the Arbitration Court gave its decision of a 3s a week bonus, working out at £d per hour, the Watersiders’ Federation, which is not registered under the Arbitration Act, made a debiand for a similar bonus, which was considered by delegates of the watersiders and of the employers concerned. The conference resulted in an offer being made by the employers, which was submitted by their delegates to stop work meetings of watersiders in every port of the Dominion thia morning.

The Auckland meeting was attended by between 1000 and 1200 members, and the discussion lasted for four hours, without much idea being given of the general feeling of members on the subject. The question will be ballotted on to-day and to-morrow, and the result of the ballot will be forwarded to the central executive at Wellington, where acceptance of the offer will depend on the vote from all parts of the Dominion. Officials of the Union decline to* state outside their own circles what the

amount of the offer is, but from unofficial sources it has been reliably ascertained that the watersiders are voting on the question of whether or not they will accept a bonus of a penny per hour. WELLINGTON MEETING. NO DECISION AVAILABLE. Wellington, Last NightA stop work meeting of the Seamen’s Union was held to-day. ’’The offer of a bonus of 3s per week, made by the employers of waterside labor to the Watersiders’ Federation, will be submitted to a ballot.