PENDULUM SWINGING BACK

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 220, 13 June 1936, Page 11

PENDULUM SWINGING BACK

French Strikes Extending

WORKERS IGNORE UNION LEADERS

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright London, June 11. The Paris correspondent of “The Times” says that the good impression created bj’ Sunday's settlement of the French strike is slowly evaporating, the number of new strikers exceeding the numbers of those who are resuming. Thousands of strikers marched cheering down the boulevards waving red flags, while others careered in taxis, shouting defiant slogans. The Trades Union Council’s authority is not as strong as the leaders supposed, and the workers are ignoring its decrees and instead are returning en bloc and consolidating the advantages won. They are taking up collections and exhausting middle-class sympathy by waging guerrilla warfare in order to squeeze the utmost from individual employers.

The strikes extended to firstelass Parisian restaurants mid hotels. Factories are idle at Bordeaux, where shipyard workers took possession of the liner Cap Pa da ran. The franc continues to sag. but the exchange market is inert.

A later message states that foreigners were relieved to find waiters and other hotel and restaurant workers back at work. Many visitors were unable to obtain food yesterday, and others returned to their hotels, to find the doors closed and had the greatest difficulty in entering. Luxury hotels maintained onlj’ a skeleton service. Tbe department store strike continues, notwithstanding the settlement reached earlier in the week. Employers at Nice closed every big store as a protest against workers occupying one of the more important shops. The Government is hopeful that the rapid passing of legislation will encourage strikers to resume work.

The Communist leader, M. Thorez, addressing Paris Communists declared that workers must know when to end the strike as soon as they have obtained essential demands and then compromise in order not to lose strength. UPROAR IN CHAMBER New Bills Introduced

(Received June 12, 9 p.m.) Paris, June 11.

When the Chamber of Deputies met, Rightists began obstructing in order to prevent a discussion on the new Government's Bills, but. a show of hands rejected a motion to shelve them on the pretext that the factories are still occupied and that law and order are not respected.

Uproar, punctuated with cries of “pigs” and ’’scoundrels” greeted M. Blum's introduction of the measures. Another wild demonstration was precipitated by his declaration that he would not order police and mobile guards to enter occupied factories. The measure exempting ex-service-men’s pensions from taxation was passed without division, and the Paid Holidays Bill, granting 15 days’ leave after a year’s service, was passed by 563 votes to 1. After a monotonous debate the Chamber eventually passed the Restoration of Cuts Bill, which, incidentally, precludes civil servants taking jobs outside State employment, and adopted the Collective Contracts Bill by 528 votes to 7. The Chamber then adjourned at S p.m. and is to debate the FortyHour Week Bill at 9.30 to-morrow.