WORK AND WAGES.

Evening Star, Issue 11893, 22 May 1903, Page 1

WORK AND WAGES.

[From Oub Sydney Cobbespondent.]

THE WEST AUSTRALIAN STRIKE. _ The present strike recalls what occurred in West Australia in July, 1901, when the railway employees there went out on account of .the Government refusing to grant an increase of Is per day in the wages of the permanent-way men. The Government made a proposal to submit the dispute to arbitration by a board composed of two nominees of the Government and two of the men concerned. The men were generally advised to accept this proposal, but declined, and on July 5, at midnight all members of the Railways Association struck. Trains, as in this instance, were taken to the end of sections and left, but in some cases this was not even done, owing to the absence of singnolmen. The enginedrivers, firemen, and. cleaners, who belonged to a separate organisation, remained at their posts, but would do nothing outside their regular duties. Passenger trains were run next day, but under great difficulties, the clerks from the railway offices having to act as guards and porters, and night stationmasters as signalmen. The strikers assembled in large crowds, but did no damage, simply indulging in such harmless pranks as greasing the rails. " Blacklegs" would, however, have been severely dealt with but for the strong bodies of pobce, who turned up wherever the strikers congregated. On the goldfields food rose to famine prices. On the Uth of July, after much agitation, the strikers, realising at last that public opinion was against them, reluctantly agreed to the proposal for arbitration, which resulted in favor of the men. Though the strike only lasted a week, its effects were felt for many months afterwards.

THE NEW SOUTH WALES RAILWAY

SERVICE

It is interesting at the present juncture to note the position of the railway and tramway Government service in New South Wales in relation to unionism. In the first instance, the men had a struggle with the late Commisioner Goodchap in 1886 as to the formation of an amalgamated onion of all branches. Small sectional associations—those of the enginedrivers and firemen and the signalmen for instance—were already in existence, but they did not partake of the character of aggressive trade unions. Mr Goodchap objected to the new organisation, on the ground that it would be subversive of discipline, and might provoke conflict which would possibly lead to a strike. The idea of such a thing as a strike was then ridiculed by the men, but Mr Goodchap was far-seeing. "All your representations that you wish no harm to the department are, I am sure, truthfully made, he said, " but as time goes on all these conditions will be forgotten, and the machinery of the association will be used in conflict with the administration of business by the proper officers. The effect of this association would be, to my mind to act as a deterrent to the officers from properly performing their duties. The officers would have ' in terrorem' over them an association which would tend to insubordination." A union was, however, formed, and during the regime of the late Mr Eddy, who refused to recognise it, much

irritation was caused through his dismissal of some of the onion's officials for taking part in political meetings—one addressing a Protectionist gathering at Kiama and another a labor meeting at Leichhardt. In 1890 it was decided to affiliate with the Trades Hall, but this resolution was afterwards rescinded. In 1901 the matter of affiliation again became a pressing matter. In that year .the Amalgamated Railway and Tramway tjnion—which comprises all the railway men except drivers and firemen, who. have an association of their own, and the lonductors, drivers, and cleaners of the electric trams, who have lately organised as a separate body—obtained affiliation, although they were not officially represented until the year following. This year this union had gone a step further, and, together with the electric tram organisation, had affiliated with the Political Labor League. Both these things, they contend, they have the legal right to do under the Industrial Arbitration Act. which also compels their recognition by the Commissioners as industrial unions. It is worthy of remark that the only threat to strike seriously put forward in the New South Wales service was that w.ich emanated quite recently from the tramway men, who demanded the eight hours concession. A strike was averted by the Government, under pressure from the Labor party, over the heads of the Commissioners, complying with the demand, at a cost to tho country of some £60,000 a year. The locomotive engine-drivers and firemen officially remain unaffiliated with either Trades and Labor Council or the Political Labor League, but they nevertheless representation on the latter through the various local labor leagues throughout the country, of which they are members. ■*••