Govt Attacks Harbour Pilots

A fortnight ago, the Labour Government tried to bash New Zealand's trade unions by allowing the Auckland Harbour ferry operator, Leo Dromgoole, to take out injunctions against the Northern Drivers' Union and its secretary, Mr G. H. Andersen, which resulted in Mr Andersen spending two days in prison. Now the Labour Government has again tried to attack the working people of New Zealand, through its attack on the rights of harbour pilots to take industrial action in support of their wage demands.

In 1960, New Zealand's harbour pilots received rates of pay which were comparable to those received by sea-going ship's masters (a master's certificate is a necessary qualification for becoming a pilot). A pilot received slightly in excess of what was earned by a junior master with the Union Steam Ship Company. Now, however, some 14 years later, this pay parity has been completely lost, and the pay-rates for pilots have fallen as much as 50% behind those for sea going masters. When, last week, the most that Harbours Association (negotiating for the Harbour Boards, who are the employers) would offer the Merchant Service Guild (representing the pilots) was 17%.

As a result, about the middle of last week, the Merchant Service Guild decided that the pilots would limit themselves to working a 40 hour week as from last Friday night unless the Harbours' Association was prepared to make them a more realistic offer. This threat, however prompted an immediate reaction from the government—on Thursday they introduced regulations which classified harbour piloting as an essential industry (along with other workers such as firemen and hospital workers). The effect of such a classification for the pilots is to make it illegal for them to take any industrial action—in this case an overtime ban—without giving at least a fortnight's notice. Then, on Friday, the government rushed an emergency bill through Parliament which gave Harbour Boards power to prosecute the pilots should they take illegal industrial action. It is quite apparent that harbour piloting is not in the same category as lire-fighting or hospital work, which are directed at the protection and saving of human lives, and, at course, property, The only people to be hurt by the pilot's dispute were the rich tourists on the Australis who had to spend an extra night at sea in their luxury liner, and a few Auckland businessmen who were only going to have three hours instead of two days to cry to rip these tourists off by hocking souvenirs off to them. It the government is prepared to classify harbour piloting as an essential industry, what else will it classify as an essential industry? Any other group of workers who have legitimate pay demands, we presume, are now liable to be classified as working in an essential industry, if they threaten industrial action against a group of employers reluctant to heed their demands. This is tantamount to removing the rights of workers to take industrial action in defence of their own interests.

—David Tripe