SHIPS DELAYED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 March 1940, Page 5

SHIPS DELAYED

WATERFRONT CONDITIONS IN DOMINION 5 NOT TO BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE. STATEMENT BY MINISTER LABOUR. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “The conditions that are existing on the waterfront of the Dominion cannot be allowed to continue,’’ said the Minister of Labour, Air Webb, in a statement issued at midnight last night. “The necessity of quick dispatch of our produce outweighs at the moment all the minor difficulties that may arise between the shipowners and the watersiders. The Government, in its determination to ensure the quickest possible dispatch of supplies to the United Kingdom, has already set up a committee to report on new procedures for handling cargo and dispatching ships.” “This committee,” said Mr. Webb, “is due to report at the end of this week, and on receipt of the report the Government will at once confer, with the executive of the Waterside Workers’ Federation and the shipowners to determine the method by which the watersiders can be assured of reasonable conditions and pay in return for expedition in the handling, of the ships. “The urgency of the present need cannot be overstressed. We are at war. The United Kingdom needs our food and our wool. The Government of the Dominion has purchased our primary produce, which on dispatch becomes the property of the United Kingdom at prices agreed between the two Governments.

“These products are needed to feed soldiers and civilians of the Allied forces in Europe, and our soldiers in Egypt. They cannot be held up. The emergency is further illustrated by the action of the United Kingdom Government, which, from February 1 last, has requisitioned all ships sailing from the United Kingdom. This means that the ships are under the ownership and control of the United Kingdom Govern- j ment. and the products are owned either by the United Kingdom Government or our own Government.

“No sectional differences can be allowed to come in between the purchase of the products and their delivery in the United Kingdom. The Government, on the receipt of the report previously referred to, is pledged to introduce a system that will ensure an income to the watersider sufficient to maintain a reasonable standard of living. This arrangement is jeopardised by sectional differences and, speaking on behalf of the Government, I affirm that hold-ups cannot be allowed. Ships must be worked and loaded by the quickest method, and the Government in turn for this guarantees reasonable conditions and pay to the watersiders.

“My life has been devoted to building up conditions for the workers,” concluded Mr. Webb. “I hope to continue in this work but the issue of war is so important today that ships cannot be held up while discussion proceeds. The watersiders and shipowners must realise this at once, and without any special pleading I am urging the watersiders to carry out to the full every method that would ensure quick dispatch while the Government, with the watersiders' executive and the shipowners, work out a procedure that will guarantee incomes for the workers in return for efficiency and service in dispatching the ships. ’ AUCKLAND HOLD=UP NO CHANGE IN POSITION. AUCKLAND, March 7._ There were no fresh developments in Auckland today in the hold-up caused by the refusal of the Auckland branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union to work overtime till claims for a new award covering waterfront labour in New Zealand are met. For the second day no work was carried out on the waterfront after 5 p.m. No correspondence has yet passed between the union and the Auckland Shipping and Stevedores’ Association, and there is still no suggestion of a local conference to discuss the points at issue. It is evident, among both parties, that Auckland is now waiting for initiative to come from Wellington, either from Cabinet or from the Waterside Workers’ Federation. The decision of the union to refuse overtime work will not affect waterfront labour on Saturday morning. The secretary of the union explained that Saturday morning work is on a special rate. Overtime is given on Saturday afternoons. WORK REFUSED NON-UNIONIST GRIEVANCE IN LYTTELTON. v CHRISTCHURCH. March 7. Alleging that they were being made a convenience of to “keep jobs warm for unionists,” 32 non-unionists who were engaged by the Railways Department to work the Union Company’s steamer Waipiata refused to start today unless they were permitted to work till 9.30 p.m. This demand was declined and work on the vessel will not begin till tomorrow morning.

Two spokesmen for the non-unionists in the presence of the others stated that they had been engaged in the morning to start at 2.30 p.m. Some of them had to return to. Christchurch for their midday meal, thus using up extra “nips” on their railway tickets. After being kept waiting most of the day, they were about to start work at 2.30 p.m. when they asked if they would be guaranteed employment till 9.30 p.m. instead of being relieved by unionists who would finish other jobs at 5 p.m.

The request was made to the stationmaster, Mr A. K. Dyne, who conferred with Mr. J. Flood, secretary of the Lyttelton branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union. The men were then told that the guarantee could not be made. “Tlfey say that we are holding the ship up,” said one of the spokesmen, “but it is the union which is holding it up, by refusing us permission to work through. They are too greedy. Their men, after earning £1 Is, by working at other ships till 5 o’clock want to take our jobs from us and earn another I4s in overtime. We would get only 6s 8d for two and a half hours' work, keeping a job warm for them to lake over. Most of us here are New Zealanders, many being returned soldiers. We belong to other unions, but are out of work, and we would willingly join the Watersiders’ Union if we were allowed, but it is a closed union.”

The speaker added that 32 men were unanimous. It was not just a case of a few agitators making trouble. Mr. Dyne was interviewed and said he had not been in a position to agree to the men’s demand as unionists had to be engaged if they reported for work at 6 p.m. Mr. Flood said that the award provided that non-unionists could be relieved by unionists after two hours or at a meal hour. He had no power to consent to breaking the terms of the award. WORK IN WANGANUI PROCEEDING NORMALLY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WANGANUI, March 7. The decision of the Auckland waterside workers not to work overtime in loading and unloading vessels till their claims for a new agreement are met will have no effect upon waterside workers in Wanganui, stated their secretary. Mr. J. Robertson. : “As recently as last Sunday our men worked overtime loading out produce.’’ said Mr. Roberston. “Our last agreement expired in 1938, but we are carrying on just the same and we are now hoping that, a new judge having been appointed, another agreement will be made.”