The Register (Adelaide) Saturday 15 May, 1909.
TROUBLE WITH COAL
LUMPERS.
TEMPORARY SETTLEMENT.
A temporary strike, which if persisted
might have led to serious consequences,
occurred at Port Adelaide on Friday after
noon in connection with the Adelaide
Steamship Company's steamer Yongala.
The trouble was centred around two gangs
of coal lumpers who were engaged in coaling
the vessel at Commercial Wharf. It had its
origin in the refusal of the same gang to
coal the steamer Grantala on Wednesday
night. The men were ordered down to
begin work at 9 p.m. that night. It rained
heavily, and continued until some time
after midinight, although the weather
cleared somewhat at that hour. The men
declined to turn to at 9. o'clock on account
of the rain, and at midnight they left the
wharf altogether, but resumed the coaling
of the vessel at 6 o'clock on Thursday
morning, and worked to within a short time
of the sailing of the Grantala on Thursday
afternoon. Even then, however, the
steamer had to leave short of the coal supply
it was intended to have taken on board,
and the balance would, have to have been
shipped in Melbourne. Under clause 7
of the agreement between the Steamship
Owners' Association and the Working
Men's Association, any man ordered to a
vessel under the overtime clause, and not
employed, is entitled to receive 2/ per hour.
The Adelaide Steamship Company, how
ever, contended that as the men declined
to turn to when requested to do so, they
were not entitled to any payment for the
three hours in which they were waiting
about. It is admitted that it was raining,
but the lumpers employed at the Grantala
in discharging timber and loading general
cargo worked all through it, and so
did those on the Melbourne Steamship
Company's steamer Monaro.
The decision of the company not to pay
for the three hours on Wednesday night
was not made known to the men until
Friday afternoon, when the weekly earnings
were distributed. The same two gangs,
consisting of 21 men, were then coaling the
Yongala, which is to leave for Western
Australia this afternoon. When their demands
for 6/ per man were not forthcoming they
declined to continue their work at the Yongala,
and left the lighter from which the coal was
being transhipped at 4 p.m. They had begun
in the morning at 9 o'clock, and two hours'
work would have finished the bunkering.
The vigilant officer of the Working Men's
Association was sent for. He met the
discontents, and when the position was
explained to him he strongly advised them
to turn to again, but they refused unless
the company would undertake to pay
them the 6/ to which, they argued, they
were entitled for the three hours during
which they did no work on Wedhesday night.
Then Capt. Dingle (marine superintendent to the company),
acting on the advice of the secretary (Mr. P. D. Haggart),
informed the men that he (Mr. Haggart) would be
prepared to meet and discuss the question with
the executive of the Working Men's Association,
provided they resumed the coaling of the
Yongala. This, however, they still declined to do.
Later on the vigilant; officer of the association
brought the Chairman (Mr. Pallutto) to the scene,
and he was successful in persuading them to resume
work this morning and finish the coaling.
The Chairman told them they had done
wrong in knocking off without first consulting
the executive of the association.
Having thus cleared the way for the mutual
discussion of the point at issue, it is
possible an amicable settlement of the
difficulty will be arrived at. It is generally
recognised that the agreement under which
the wharf labourers at Port Adelaide are
employed is exceedingly liberal, and it is
felt that any steps taken by the men to
jeopardise it will only react upon themselves.
As far as the Adelaide Steamship Company
is concerned, any trouble of a similar character
might result in the vessels of the fleet being
coaled in the other States instead of at Port Adelaide,
with consequent loss of employment to a large
number of men.
The unionization of workers was starting to have a very real impact on the day to day function of ASC steamers. It is interesting to note that this 'trouble' took place at Port Adelaide, the ASC's home base. If you recall there was similar discontent with ASC steamers having to hove to at the semaphore before entering port. One wonders what the 'between the lines' picture was at the time?
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