NEW SYSTEM

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21214, 10 September 1940, Page 6

NEW SYSTEM

WATERFRONT CONTROL CO-OPERATIVE CONTRACTS OPERATION AT AUCKLAND ADJUSTMENT OF WAGES (By Telegraph.—Press Association) AUCKLAND, Tuesday The new waterfront control scheme will come into operation at Auckland on Thursday next and within a few weeks at all other Dominion ports at which overseas vessels call. This statement was made today by the chairman of the Waterfront Control Commission, Mr R. E. Price. Later the scheme will be extended to other vessels, the ultimate aim being to bring all ports, vessels and waterside workers within its scope. Mr J. Roberts, president of the N.Z. Federation of Labour and a member of the Waterfront Commission, arrived this morning and with Mr Price will address a stop-work meeting of watersiders tomorrow morning in order to explain the details of the scheme. Both will return to Wellington tomorrow evening. Mr Price said today that one of the first actions of the Commission was to remove some of the clauses which had given rise to discontent among the men. Wage rates were adjusted to restore to the watersiders the relative position they had held in comparison with other industrial workers in New Zealand for a long period prior to September, 1937. “Incidentally, that relative position has again been lost by the recent pronouncement of the Arbitration Court, and applications for adjustment have been made and will come up for consideration shortly,” said Mr Price. The next step which the Commission took, he added, was to substitute the hourly wage system, which discouraged speedier working by paying wages on a time basis, for a method which would give the greatest reward to those who would contribute the best efforts. The Commission considered that the method by which this could be best achieved was that known as co-operative contracting, and this method was accordingly adopted in a modified form and tried out in Wellington in June last on the Port Darwin, and subsequently extended to all other overseas vessels calling at Wellington. Opposition at Work The result was instantly successful, due to the co-operation freely given by the majority of the men. There were, however, influences at work to discredit the Commission and any scheme making for change. However, the opposition was dwindling as more ships were being worked under the scheme and its advantages becoming more apparent. Experience to date amply demonstrated that co-operation was worth encouraging, and every opportunity would be afforded the waterside workers in Auckland to demonstrate their ability to do the job equally as well as their fellow unionists in the south. The scheme had also been tried at Timaru, Picton and Bluff, and the speed of handling cargoes, together with the earning capacity of the men, showed increases of from 9 to 90 per cent. The South Island to date had shown the most gratifying results, but it was expected that the men at certain North Island ports who were eager to work under the scheme would show equally good results.