NO SATURDAY WORK

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16732, 15 January 1920, Page 6

NO SATURDAY WORK

DEFINITE MOVEMENT IN AUSTRALIA. (FROM oun OWN CORRESPONDENT. 1 SYDNEY, January G. There is a very definite movement among tho trado unions of Australia generally in favour of cutting out Saturday -work. Tho idea is "forty-four hours and a five davs' week.'' Some of the more extreme and irresponsible unions demand forty, and even thirtysix hours per week, but they aro not taken seriously. Among tho unions which favour the five days' week arc some of tho better classes of artisans. Tho Sydney branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers—once a conservative and stately organisation, but which has now given itsolf over to tho "progressives'' —has voted solidly for the elimination of Saturday work, and is now considering how it is going to bring about the reform. At first sight, the movement is not a little_ disturbing. This country wants nothing so much as increased production : there is no other wav of escaping the war burden and recovering tho easy, prosperous days of ll>l4. The who'lo tendency should be to do more work and increase the working time, rather than to shorten it. IJut, as a matter of fact, mail' - owners of factories and workshops are not opposed to the change. Ihev sav that the nmjoritv of operatives simply dawdle around on Satur'hv morning, with one eve on the clock, and never scttlo down, and that, in the circumstances. it does not piv to keep tho machinery running and nil power on. Very msnv employers in Svdnev. at anv rate, long ago made a deal with their employees—that if tliev would do a little extra work on five davs a week, the factory would be closed on Saturday. with no de-rcase in wntres. The employees, of course, jumnel at. it. and the system hi*-- worked satisfactorily to both s-'des. There aro those who believe that an unbroken week-end—from Friday nipbt to Monday morning—will soon be a feature of a large section of Australian industry.