AUSTRALIAN STRIKES

Evening Star, Issue 17080, 26 June 1919, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN STRIKES

"EMPLOYEES MAY RUE THE DAY." JUDGE HIGGINS'S WARNING TO THE SEAMEN. " I think at my d ity to state briefly for the information of the public," Mr Justice Higgins said, in dealing with the seamen's dispute in> the Arbitration Court in Melbourne on the 17th .iust., "tho position of this grave matter. It is at a stage when the puiblic ought to know the facte. In. April a new log, containing about 25 clauses, with sub-clauses, was put before the employers. Thei-e was a conference as to the log held by representatives of the union with Admiral Ciarkson. The Government s-eem to have chartered most of the ships on the ccaist, with the crew®, but any extra rates granted, I understand, would have to bo paid by the Government. Tho Government also own -a number of sliips trading to foreign ports. Admiral Olarkson granted nothing, and referred the union to tills Court. Then the men gave tho usual 24 hour-' notice on the, first opportunity, and left the ships. The Commonwealth Government, altar an interval. requested a. compulsory conference, and I granted it immediately. THE NEW LOG. " This new log is formidable in length end complexity. It comprises, many things which have been granted in previous awards, in whole or in part; but it damamis, inter alia, six hours as a maximum in port; £l4 a month for able seamem ; and that trie provisions of tho Federal Navigation Act, 1912, with regard ta accommodation, shall bo applied to the. ships. It also claims provisions for cleaning the men's quarters, for a man to attend on tho crews, for electric light in the quarters, for .provisions as to bedding, fumigation, hot and cold water baths, etc., for the navy menu to be applied to all ships, and many other things! _ But in particular there is a claim for an inuiranoe guarantee of £SOO to be paid to _ the next of kin of seamen dying at sea while in th.service of the employer, and for wages to a crew during sickrnvs. This claim was not in the log of last December. The influenza scare had not arisen. Ail, or nearly all. of these claims are within the competence -of the Court to, award. RELIEF IN DIRECT ACTION. " When the parties met mo in'' conference tho representatives of llie union assured me that they attached great importance to the claims for accommodation for the men, and for payment in case of loss of life or health while in service. " When asked why they had not approached tho Court for the consideration of these claims, they st-.it d that tin y understood that the Court had not power to grant them, a.ncl when I reassured them as to the power of the Court, speaking to the best of my opinion, they frankly said that they did net believe m arbitration, but in direct action. Some of th©"representatives, however, were strongly in favor of going to arbitration. I found that in the. union rules there was a provision for a plebiscite, of members, and that the. action of tV> Federal Council wae subject to any decision on the plebiscite. The position was complicated by internal feuds among the leaders, and I suggested that the difficulties might be solved by a plebiscite. Tho proposal was at once accepted, even by those opposed, to arbitration, on the ground that the majority had a right to rule. f then formulated a, question : 'Shall the ships he manned forthwith?' and I promised if the ships were not manned I would refer the log into Court for arbitration. But those who are against arbitration managed to induce the branch meetings to resolve that they would have nothing to do with arbitration, and the natural result was that members who were in favor of. arbitration largely abstained from voting. They did not like, I suppose, to appear to be acting against the wish of their leaders, or to be taking work when others were sacrificing their jobs. JUDGE'S EFFORTS REJECTED.

" The curious thing is that under tlw constitution of the union the settlement «i disputes by arbitration is .the union poLcy, and this policy is now being lguuied according to the report to mo by tlio geiieral secretary, and I ha-v© no rea-so-ii for doubting its truth. Tha votes have been fovv, but ©ven m the lew votes there is a majority against manning the ships. " Treating myself iu* representing the interests of the "public, why suiter greatly iu .suc.il stoppage of shipping operations, I assured those present feat tire people of Australia were roady and anxious to see the work required by the country carried on with justice to tho workers, and especially with justice to teamen, who from va.rious causes have not until lately received anything like prrpvr t;vatnieiit. I even went so far a.s to Say —so far as one who might have to arbitrate could say —that the claim* for proper accommodation oug<;;t in substance to Ire granted, and that there appealed to be no sound reason why there should not be compensation for sickness or death as well as for accidents arising in the service. As I have stated, there was no claim on these subjects in tho on which 1 made my award last December, and, of course, I cannot grant a claim that is not made.

" Although the Court is limited by the chains rini.de, the seamen have already gained much by arbitration, teamen 10 years ago used to work 12. hours a day for £7 a month; now they have, under tho awards of the Court, an eight-hour day at sea arid in port, a 48-hour week. 14 days' annual holiday on full pay, and 75 per cent, increase in wages. Nor are these the only gains. ' "As I diagnose tho position, a few active, intelligent men 'have got control of the machinery of tho union—men who have probably had their minds saturated with writing'from outside countries, man who hold the fixed theory that nothing substantial can be gained without extreme courses. There seems, indeed, to be a touch of irony in applying the counsels , of desperation imparted from abroad to a country like Australia, which is struggling towards a better system for securing justice all round. " No doubt tho doubts as fo tho jurisdiction of the Court, tho uncertainly ns to what the High Court may say ns to an award, 'has something to do with the crisis ; but the main cause is to be found in tho teaching of overseas theorists. As a result the two extreme parties in the industrial world have become allies-—these who would push the claims of the workers Togardilcfis of the ruin inflicted on tho community, and those who hove bitterly opposed all measures for the relief of the worker. The former class may not like our industrial machinery. There are many faults, but there can surely bo no excuse for saying that the means of getting what they 'regard as iustice have been exhausted. Tho attitude of these men now to tho employer is : ' Here axe our claims, will you grant them?' I can only ray that "'if the employers grant the claims under such circumstances they and the community will rue the day. As in the case of the coal trouble, those who are in favor of direct action will point to the gains as achieved by their pet policy, and the same kind of 'stand and deliver demarfll will again be made, and soon. " Admiral Clarkson waa willing to the very end that tho log should be sent to the' Court for arbitration, but I refused. ONE, NOT BOTH. " I adhere to the policy that a union Is not to have arbitration and strike too. ]f T wre to n-rbitr-a-te and did not giant all that these leaders ask, the men might not man the ships, and I decline to act under such pressure, My hands must be tree. But-1 have adjourned tho conference to a date- to be fixed, and if other counsels prevail in the union I ehall be only too glad to refer the dispute into the Court lor arbitration. " It has been impossible lor me to state everything that has passed. I have selected the facts which, as it seems to me, the public should know, for the other workers of the community and their fami--1 lies, as well as the, people generally, must endure cruel sufferings in the depth of the winter. I think I have not omitted anything material, nor done any injustice I by my words."