WHARF STRIKE BEGINS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27874, 24 January 1956, Page 13

WHARF STRIKE BEGINS

Serious Effects F eared

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

(Rec. 11 p.m.) SYDNEY, January 23. A nation-wide waterside workers’ strike, which threatens Australia’s precariously balanced export drive, has already paralysed 130 ships in 53 ports since it started at midnight.

Today mass meetings of waterside workers reaffirmed their leaders’ action in calling the strike.

The president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (Mr A. E. Monk), who made eleventh-hour moves to avert the strike, said he could see no sign of an early settlement. In Canberra today the Prime Minister (Mr Menzies), after a Federal Cabinet meeting lasting two hours and a half, said that so far no decision had been made by the Government to meet the crisis.

Shipping officials said the dispute, if prolonged, would: Hold up export wool and wheat badly needed to balance Australia’s trade deficit. Delay frozen meat and fruits urgently needed in Britain. Have a severe impact on Australia’s already acute housing shortage by tying up thousands of feet of timber. Cause a shortage of consumer goods already at a premium because of import restrictions. Cause unemployment in factories by running industry short of raw materials. Any interruption of exports at this stage will aggravate the balance of payments, which the Government hoped to bring back to balance by June 30. Wool sales resumed in Sydney today, but unless the strike is settled, sales scheduled for next week in Brisbane and the following week in Sydney will be cancelled. This would mean a hold-up of 95,000 bales worth about £7,750,000. Mr E. G. Hansen, chairman of the Tasmanian State Fruit Board, said today: “Even a short strike will upset the shipping programme. The apple industry must export to survive.” He said Tasmania hoped to export* about 3,500,000 bushels of apples and pears to Britain and the Continent. The strike will intensify the potato scarcity in Sydney and send prices rocketing. Tasmanian shipments will cease and only Victorian supplies will be available.

Potatoes were £6 a bag at the city markets today. There are 35 overseas and 17 interstate ships in Sydney today. The liners Orsova, Iberia, and Southern Cross will sail as scheduled if passengers load their own cargo. The Iberia will leave with 1760 tons of cargo unloaded if the strike is not over in two days. The waterside workers have agreed to handle perishable cargoes. Cost of Strike Shipowners today claimed that it would cost them £250,000 a week to keep their ships idle in Australian ports and that the strikers would lose £62.000 a day in wages. Union leaders in Sydney today described the strike as the most serious since the 1949 coal strike, which almost paralysed the country. They said they expected a head-on clash with the Federal Government. Mass meetings of waterside workers today planned the strike campaign, including the organisation of a strike committee and sub-committees to handle publicity, welfare, relief picketing, and finance. The wives of many watersiders attended the meeting. The aim was to obtain the support of the women to ensure that there would be no weakening among members in a long strike? The secretary of the Melbourne Watersiders’ Union (Mr C. Young) said the strikers would get no strike pay, but every effort would be made to help needy families pay for food and rent. The strike followed the breakdown of talks between the Waterside Workers’ Federation and the shipowners on claims for increased wages and improved conditions. Deadlock was reached on Saturday when talks called by the Arbitration Court failed. The shipowners agreed to arbitration, but the waterside workers demanded an immediate settlement of their claims.