FINALITY REACHED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 June 1940, Page 9

FINALITY REACHED

LONG STANDING DISPUTE. WATERSIDERS AND NEW SYSTEM. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. Finality has at last been reached in the long-standing dispute between the employers of waterside labour and the Waterside Workers’ Union, as an order providing for the wages and conditions of employment of workers engaged in the industry has been issued by the commission recently appointed by the Government. This statement was made late last night by the Minister of Labour, Mr' Webb.

“This order,” said the Minister, “can rightly be regarded as only a temporary measure, for the commission has already introduced a new system in connection with the loading and discharging of vessels. The new method will be known as the co-operative contract system under which the men will be paid by results, but; in view of the fact that the hourly wage system has been in operation so long and as the parties had partially agreed in Conciliation Council that this system should continue, an order- has been issued by the commission to apply in the meantime.

“For a considerable time past,” said Mr Webb, “there has been discontent on the waterfronts of New Zealand, due to the fact 'that the waterside workers have not been able to obtain a new agreement or award of the Court of Arbitration. As it is imperative that vessels trading between Great Britain and New Zealand should be discharged and loaded with the greatest possible efficiency, the Government appointed a commission with full powers to deal with all the questions involved. The investigations of the commission have proved that the system which has obtained up to the present is not satisfactory, and it has been decided to inaugurate new methods by which the work will be performed on a co-operative contract basis. “This system has been in operation at the port of Patea since November 1 last and has proved successful in every way. The earnings of the men have been substantially increased and in addition vessels have received better dispatch without any increase in costs to the shipowner concerned. “At the port of Wellington during the past week, the discharging and loading operations of two vessels were carried out under this method, and the results have been eminently satisfactory.”