FRENCH WORKERS SUFFER FOR STRIKE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 285, 2 December 1938, Page 9

FRENCH WORKERS SUFFER FOR STRIKE.

SANCTIONS APPLIED.

Dismissal and Suspension

Of Civil Servants.

MANY LOCK-OUTS REPORTED,

United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 1 p.m.) PARIS, December 1. Employers have instituted sanctions against strikers and are locking out iflen desirous of resuming. Arsenal, tramway and factory employees and metal workers were dismissed and told to reapply.

Valenciennes strikers attacked and injured several Belgians crossing the frontier to resume work.

Lille textile workers, after being refused permission to enter the works', stormed the factories and later were evacuated by the police and Mobile Guards. Several Denain strikers were injured by guards using rifle butts.

The aftermath of the strike is proving bitter for the thousands who obeved their union leaders. Ala 11 y big employers throughout the country contend that the strike was a rupture of the collective agreement, thereby entailing dismissal and re-engagement under a new contract which workers refuse to agree to on the ground that they will thus lose the right to 12 days paid holiday, and must begin afresh to acquire seniority. Strained Atmosphere. Lock-outs were proclaimed at many works and factories until the situation is cleared up. Strikers in some industries have been summarily dismissed, and as a result there is a strained atmosphere in a number of large industrial towns, where the police and Mobile Guards are still guarding the factories.

Dismissed strikers numbering 2500 at Grenobles fought through a cordon of police and did considerable damage to the works.

The admiral in charge of the Lorient arsenal has ordered the dismissal of 15000, who must apply for re-engagement. Strikers at the naval arsenal at Brest lost two daj's' pay.

Ten thousand workers at the naval shipyards at St. Nazaire unexpectedly struck tli is afternoon owing to the authorities refusing to re-engage some of the men, allegedly agitators.

Roubaix workers demonstrated against the contract, but agreed to submit to (Government arbitration. Three thousand men. allegedly agitators or pickets, were dismissed in the Toulouse district. A number of aeroplane and metal works at Marseilles have not reopened.

Twelve hundred demonstrators marched against a factory at Raismes, stoning guards, who used the butts of

their rifles until reinforcements drove off the attackers.

M. Jouhaux, Labour leader, affirms that the Confederation of Labour will pursue its policy until the decrees against the workers are withdrawn. Labour Leaders Lose Positions. M. Daladier, after a conference with the Minister of Justice and others, issued an announcement which, after stating that the strike in public services though small cannot go unpunished, cancels appointments held in the Bank of France, the railways and other State organisations by State officials who disobeyed the requisition order, and dismisses a few civil servants and assistants belonging to the general administration. It suspends others without pay pending a filial decision. It is understood that under this order M. Jouhaux, who was a director of the Bank of France, and M. Semard, secretary of the Railway Union, who is a director of national railways, are dismissed from these posts.

M. Daladier decided to summon Parliament on December 8 subject to the Finance Committee's examination of the Budget being sufficiently advanced. Consequently the Socialists have cancelled that meeting for December 2.

M. Reynaud, in a speech at the American Club, referred in optimistic terms to the financial position. He stressed that capital was flowing back to France.