MOVE TO END STRIKES

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24741, 5 December 1945, Page 3

MOVE TO END STRIKES

❖ PRESIDENT TRUMAN’S PROPOSAL

PERMANENT MACHINERY SUGGESTED

(F.Z Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON, December 3., Mr Truman, in a message to Congress announcing that he is establishing a fact-finding board to handle the General Motors strike and the threatened steel strike, .asked Congress for permanent machinery to handle labour disputes in important nation-wide industries.

He said that he was asking all General Motors workers to return to work immediately and employers to proceed energetically with full production. He was making the same appeal to the United Steel workers to remain at work pending the fact-find-ing board’s findings and recommendations. He said that the recent labour and management conference had reached some agreements on a few general principles, but .It had not agreed on the all important question of how to avoid work stoppages, thereby not attaining the objective most necessary to successful reconversion.

Collective Bargaining “The history of labour relations has proved that nearly all labour disputes can and should be settled by sincere, honest collective bargaining, but in key industries, where labour and management could compose their differences, the public, through the Federal Government, has a duty to speak and act,” said Mr Truman.

Mr Truman proposed that, upon certification, by the Secretary of Labour that a" dispute continued despite his efforts and that a stoppage of work in an effected industry would vitally affect the public interest, the President or his agent should be empowered to appoint a fact-finding board within . five days, in which it would be unlawful to call a strike, lockout, or change rates of pay, hours, working conditions, or practises existing before the dispute.

The board should be composed of three or more outstanding citizens to investigate all relevant facts, with power to subpoena individuals and records. The board should report facts with recommendations within 20 days, unless the date was extended by agreement with the approval of the President. The parties would not be legally bound to accept findings or follow the board’s recommendations, but the public would know all the facts. He was sure that both sides, in most cases, would accept the recommendations. He believed that the procedure should be used sparingly and only in the national' and public interest, , . Labour Opposition . . Js an immediate programme fair to both sides. I hope that Congress will grant the powers before Christmas and will not adopt repressiye or coercive measures against either side,” said Mr Truman. “Legislation which would stifle full freedom of, collective bargaining would be a backward step which the American people would not tolerate.” The president of the American Federation of Lab«?ur (Mr William Green) said his organisation could not approve the President’s proposal, which would be a disadvantage both to employers and workers in manv cases p , r I f si ? ent of the United Automobile Workers (Mr J. Thomas) announced that General Motors workers nwl? et . on Decemb er Bto discuss work** n S request to return to