TROUBLE WITH COAL LUMPERS.

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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