QUEENSLAND STRIKE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 146, 2 April 1948, Page 3

QUEENSLAND STRIKE

Defeat for Communists EARLIER OFFER ACCEPTED (N.Z.P.A.—dopyright). (Rec. 11.45) BRISBANE, This Day. The biggest industrial defeat ever suffered by the Communist ' Party in Australia is foreshadowed by the decision of the Communistcontrolled central disputes committee to recommend that railway workshops men accept a wage rise of 12s 4d a week with proportionate increases for unskilled and • semi-skilled workers. This decision was reached early this morning after all-night efforts to obtain a face-saving settlement. The terms now accepted by the disputes committee were offered early in the strike by the Queensland Government, when it indicated that it would not oppose a 12s 4d increase in the Arbitration Court. If the committee’s recommendation is adopted by mass meetings of railwaymen to-day, they will return to work on Tuesday Wednesday. , In a series of discussions last night, Mr Hanlon refused to increase the Government offer or repeal the antipicketing ' legislation. The committee’s hand was forced by reports that men at Toowoomba, Rockhampton and other preparing to resume work independently. The sum of 12s v 4d now accepted by the committee is the original claim lodged by the Amalgamated Engineering Union in the Industrial Court on September 18. The refusal of the Queensland Government to accede when the union increased its demand to 16s was the original cause of the strike. The watersiders, whose strike has been even naore damaging than that of the railwaymen, are still determined to make a separate issue of the antipicketing legislation. The chairman of. the Stevedoring Industry Commission, Mr Justice Kirby, has appealed to the waterside leaders to end the strike by. Tuesday, but no reply has beep, received.