Wider Strike Feared In Australia

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31730, 13 July 1968, Page 13

Wider Strike Feared In Australia

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SYDNEY, July 12.

There are more than 100,000 people stood down in Australia and the figure is soaring. Industry in chaos and the threat of a depression are sweeping the nation. Emergency conferences today and during the week-end will endeavour to settle the disastrous nine-day strike by tanker drivers.

Employers and trade union leaders alike are now warning that a depression looms, while industrialists say that up to 250,000 or 300,000 will be unemployed next week unless the crippling strike is broken.

plunge Australia into its worst industrial upheaval since the 1940 s when strikers in coalmines and associated industries ground the nation to a standstill.

other States, if the strikers do not go back next week. While emergency meetings of union and State government executives are held throughout the nation today to discuss and find remedial measures for the crisis, meetings of the strikers are to be held in all States except N.S.W., where the drivers yesterday adjourned their meet ing until Monday. The oil companies this week summonsed the T.W.U. for contempt of court of a strike order made by the Court in Melbourne last Tuesday. The order banned stoppages by oil and petrol tanker drivers, and members of the T.W.U. in N.S.W.

Sydney factories alone have stood down about 100,000 people. Now the strike is nationwide, at least this number again will be stood down early next week when dwindling petrol supplies dry up, claims the president of the Chambei of Manufacturers in Sydney (Mr J. McTaggart). “The strike now threatens the whole of the national economy,” he said. The executive director of the N.S.W. Employers’ Federation (Mr F. J. Darling) said today that everyone was being held to ransom by the strikers.

Industrial officials say that one provocative move could

The oil companies have already lodged 22 charges of contempt against the union Each charge carries a maximum penalty of $lOOO. In view of yesterday’s decision by the N.S.W. drivers to stay out, charges are likely to be laid later.

“The public are being kicked to death,” he said. The strike, which began over pay claims in N.S.W. last week, flared into a national dispute last night, involving more than 2000 men in all States.

Thousands of jobs today hinge on union talks as a nation runs out of fuel and approaches the brink of disaster.

The Transport Workers’ Union called the strike nine days ago when oil companies would not meet its demands for equal pay for contract drivers and company employees. (Contract drivers receive $2 a week less than company drivers.) In Sydney today, thousands were left stranded as people crammed into already overcrowded buses.

The strikers are supplying petrol to the public bus company and doctors, ambulance and fire brigade centres and associated essential services. In other States, service stations reported people queueing up to buy petrol, which is expected to run out in all centres early next week A common sight in Sydney suburbs this week is thousands of cars parked outside houses as their owners take alternative transport to and from work. An uncommon sight is more than 200 cars at any one time on the massive Harbour Bridge. All perishable food will be exhausted in N.S.W. by Monday, meat, eggs, bread and beer are in short supply and mail pick-ups and deliveries have been restricted. The strike threatens to ground all airlines in and out of Australia this week-end, and motor sports, and other special sporting fixtures, have all been cancelled. These effects suffered by N.S.W. will also be felt in