STRIKE ISSUE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 47, 5 December 1945, Page 3

STRIKE ISSUE

MINERS IGNORE POLL’ REBUFF TO LEADERS (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 9.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, Doc. 4. The effect of the vote at yesterday’s aggregate meetings on the coalfields is that 15 per cent, of the miners are holding the community to ransom. Only 4722 miners out of 18,000 voted at yesterday’s meetings. Of these, 2717 voted for the strike and 2005 against.

It is believed that the great bulk of the miners deliberately stayed away from the meetings because they were against the strike. The industrial correspondent of the “Sydney Morning Herald” says: “The miners’ vote represents the most emphatic rebuff ever given by the rank and file of the Miners’ Federation to their leader, and especially to the Communists amongst their leaders. Never before in more than 100 years of coal unrest in New South Wales has the miners’ leadership had to begin a general strike in the knowledge that less than 20 per cent, of the membership is actively favouring a strike. “Yesterday’s meetings were the smallest in strike history. Voting was by open ballot and the fact that less than one-tliird of the miners attended the meetings'places emphasis on the need for a secret ballot, when such a decision is being made.” Commenting on the voting figures, the Commonwealth Coal Commissioner (Mr N. Mighell) said the result was an example of how the minority got its Avay when the majority was apathetic. “It is a dreadful state of affairs that in the absence of a secret ballot any matter can be decided by about one-third of the members of an. organisation. If there had been a secret ballot and all those entitled to Vote had voted, those against the strike would have swamped the poll.” Dispute May Spread While .hopes of a settlement of the strike are placed on Mr J. B. Chifley’s meeting with the union leaders in Canberra to-morrow, the position will be aggravated if mass meetings of miners in other States have decided to extend the dispute. The Miners’ Federation, has been empowered to extend the strike to all mines in Australia and a vote will be taken in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia to-mor-row.

Commenting on the decision of the unions to invoke the assistance of the Prime Minister, the president of the Miners’ Federation (Mr H. Wells) said: “It is very good that steps are being taken by the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Trades and Labour Council and the unions involved to begin negotiations with the Prime Minister that can lead to a speedy and satisfactory end to the dispute.” It is believed in political quarters that. Mr Chifley will not be able to tell to-morrow’s delegation anything involving any alteration in the Government’s policy of non-intervention. Government supporters point out that Mr Chifley could do so only by surrendering the authority of the Government to that of mob rule. They also say that to yield now would be to involve the Australian Labour Party and sections of the A.C.T.U. which have been fighting for a settlement of the dispute by constitutional methods, in defeat at the hands of Communist union leaders.

The “Sydney Morning Herald,” in a leading article, says: “A showdown has come. Mingled with public alarm and anger at the prospect of widespread unemployment, distress and impoverishment resulting from the extremists’ challenge must be a conviction that the struggle now joined was inescapable and that it must be fought to a finish. That the Communists and their 'henchmen will be defeated is a foregone conclusion unless the Government provides them with a w r ay out.” HISTORY OF DISPUTE INCIDENT IN SEPTEMBER The present industrial crisis—the greatest since the 1917 general strike—now involves three major industries—coal, steel and shipping. It began at the Port Kembla works of Australian Iron and Steel, Ltd., on September 23, wh#n an oven employee was directed to perform certain duties following a re-arrangement of the staff caused by absenteeism. He refused and was dismissed. Other oven employees then struck. In the negotiations later, the strikers claimed that the dismissed employee had been victimised. Within a week 7000 men members of 15 union were involved. Mr Justice M. E. Cantor, of the Industrial Commission, held an exhaustive inquiry and found that the man had been properly required to do the work and that his dismissal was justified. On October 30 the Broken Hill Proprietary laid off men at Newcastle because of a shortage of coal. The employees alleged that the rights of ex-servicemen and old employees had been infringed and within a week/7000 men were either on strike or out of employment at Broken Hill Proprietary and associated industries.

The Broken Hill Proprietary controls the Australian Iron and Steel Ltd., and the managements of both companies refused to negotiate officials of the deregistered Ironworkers’ Union. The Ironworkers’ Union was deregistered by the Industrial Commission on September 4 for a deliberate and premeditated challenge to the Commission’s authority. The challenge was a union “stop work” order, when Mr Justice De Baun went to inspect the two factories at the request of the Australian Workers’ Union with a view to making an award. Recognition of the Ironworkers’ Union by the management became a major issue in the strike. Wider Demands At Newcastle on November 18 the Broken Hill Proprietary announced that sufficient coal had been accumulated to enable a resumption of work,

but by this time the original cause of the dispute had been lost sight of and the men’s demands had become — The recognition of all unions, including the Ironworkers’ Union. All men dismissed or on strike to be reinstated in their former positions. A satisfactory settlement of the Port Kembla dispute. Recognition of' the union’s seniority rule. The Broken Hill Proprietary management to confer with the metal trade unions on demands for a 40-hour week, 25 per cent, shiftwork allowance and guaranteed employment. The New South Wales Trades and Labour Council took control of the strike and declared itself in favour of the principle of arbitration, and called the Ironworkers’ Union to seek reregistration. The Labour Council also ruled against any extension of the strike, and its decisions were supported by the Inter-State Conference of the Australian Labour Party in Melbourne last week. The Miners’ Federation and Seamen’s Union, however, called on their members to stop work in support of the steel strikers, and this cessation took effect as from to-day,