BUILDING TRADE CRISIS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 89, 14 April 1923, Page 7

BUILDING TRADE CRISIS

OVER EXTRA HALF-HOUR A DAY

HUGE LOOK-OUT THREATENED.

(DNIIED PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPYRIGHT.) (AUSTRALIAN . NEW ZEALAND CABLE ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, 13th April. Half- a million builders' labourers cease work to-day, primarily because they are unable to agree to arbitration upon the question of working an extra half-hour daily during summer time. An eleventh-hour attempt to prevent the trouble was made by the Ministry 'of Labour, but failed. The leaders declare'that the men are prepared for a long fight, but the- employers believe that many will, remain at work. Later. The prevention of the building lockout is regarded as hopeless. It will mean that operations ■ will cease on 150,000 dwellings, and. many industrial constructional schemes and extensive street reconstructions in the West End will be interrupted. Banks, shipping lines, and general business houses engaged on new buildings', will also bs affected. It is estimated that the -loss in wages will be more than £1,000,000 a week. It was announced on 29th March that the building employers had> decided to post lock-out notices operating from 14th April, to enforce their demand for the extension of hours during summer to 47 a week, and a reduction of wages ranging from 5 to 10 per cent. A ballot of the men taken at the end of resulted in 42,608 votes being cast for, and- 140,952 against, accept-! ance of the terms.