THREAT TO FLEET STREET PAPERS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28937, 3 July 1959, Page 11

THREAT TO FLEET STREET PAPERS

O NITWIT ■' EU.C. To Meet Leaders Of Printing Unions (N.Z. Press Awocidtiwv—eopyripht) (Rec. 1020 pjn.) LONDON, July 2. The Trades Union Congress is the main hope of averting the threatened shut-down of Fleet Street newspapers on Sunday, newspapers reported today. The Minister of Labour (Mr Madeod) is expected to 'wait for the results of today** talk* between the' T.U.C. and the 10 unions involved in the printing and printing ink disputes. . .f > > He will decide whether to make a statement M* the House of Commons tomorrow. Fleet Street newspapers are shut down by lack of ink at the week-end they will ask a private notice question in the Commons and seek a debate.

The T-U-C. leaders, representing more than 8,0Q0,000 workers, are perturbed at the spread of the stoppage already threatening the jobs of many thousands outside the dispute. No ink was delivered to any national newspaper yesterday and there were no signs of either side giving w«y-. All the national newspapers were drastically reduced in size today and some appeared to have thinned down their ink, giving their headlines a grey appearance.

“The Times” came out with 12 pages, instead of its Usual 20 to 40. The “Daily Telegraph" had 10 instead of 20, and others were mostly eight pages. The British press is at present hit by two parallel disputes stemming from union demands for more pay and a shorter working week. These are:

(1) A three-week-old stoppage in , 1100 provincial newspaper offices and more than 4000 printing firms involving nearly 200,000 workers; and (2) A strike by 2500 members of one union employed by printing ink firms which will stop production of the major London daily and Sunday newspapers after next Sunday.