SHEARERS’ STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 138, 8 March 1945, Page 7

SHEARERS’ STRIKE

Communist Agitators Blamed (Received March 7, 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 7.

“A small body of Communist agitators is intimidating pastoral workers and organizing a strike which will cause grave losses to the grazing industry,’ said Sir Norman Rater in the Legislative Council. lie asked the Government to allow the police to investigate the record of the agitators who were fomenting the strike and to ask the manpower authorities to allow only genuine shearers to enrol as shearers. The strike had been in evidence in Queensland for a month, but had now spread to Northern New South Wales where militants, led

by an Australian Workers’ Union organizer, had called at. a station and urged a strike on (he shearers. The shearers bad refused to listen, but several days later militants had arrived with six ears to take the shearers away and had informed the men that accommodation had been arranged for them and their fares paid. The shearers had reported that if they did not comply with the demand the woolshed would be burnt, ami they would suffer. Shearers were refusing to go out to stations because of fear of molestation. The Minister of Justice, Mr. Downing, said he felt that the majority of the men would rely on the advice of their leaders, who in (bo past had always abided by arbitration. Every effort, would be made by the Government to prevent the strike spreading. Sir Norman's statement about the stoppage of work on the station was described as “a lot of rot’’ by T. Dougherty, general secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union. He said that the union organizer bad visited the shed, had had a show of union tickets, and had instructed flic men to carry on. Later, when the organizer was out of the district, some militants, acting without authority, iiml gone to the station amt persuaded the shearers to stop work. Mr. Dougherty said he understood that shearing was continuing at the station, but not by union labour.