FOR PRESS16 DECEMBER 1976
NEWCASTLE STATE DOCKYARD
The Prime Minister sent the following letter by
telex to the New South Wales Premier, Mr. Neville
Wran, today. JO
AEA. L
PRIME IINISTER
J1Q ,76CANBERRA
My dear Premier, I refer to your telex of the 12 December and
to our earlier correspondence and discussions on the
subject of shipbuilding.
I can only say that I am unable to comprehend
how you could have the view that you are not responsible
to negotiate the Industrial Relations Contract with the
Unions. The record of our conversation in Canberra
indicates that this point was made clear. My letter to
you of 12 November explicitly stated, " if your Government
can succeed in negotiating a suitable contract with the
Unions we would be prepared to co-operate with the State
in providing further financial assistance if necessary in
the construction of the two ships".
Your Government, as owner of the State Dockyard,
obviously must be a principal of such a contract your
Government must have a direct involvement in the negotiations.
May I also remind you that at our meeting on the
27 August when I asked you whether you thought it would be
possible to negotiate with the Unions for a moratorium on
strikes and wage increases beyond those approved by the
appropriate wage determining tribunals, you indicated that
you would " back yourself on that brief" if you could promise
work for the dockyard.
However, since you believe that this responsibility
did not fall on your shoulders, we are prepared, if you wish
it, to agree to a small extension of time to permit you to
obtain the agreement of the Unions to an Industrial Relations
Contract in accordance with the Heads of Agreement, which we
discussed on the 19 November. I remind you that from our point
of view the Commonwealth is not prepared to vary the Industrial
Relations Contract. I must comment that the Union position as you have
reported it to me falls significantly short in a number of
important respects of compliance with the Heads of Agreement.
I now formally offer a short extension of time if
you wish it to allow you to obtain the agreement of the Unions.
A lot of time has elapsed. If I do not receive advice from you
by tomorrow night that you wish to accept this short extension,
we will be obliged to regard the offer as having lapsed.
Yours sincerely,
Thc Hon. N. ' 1' ran, P. L. A. ( Malcolm Frase
Premier of Ne* z South hales