BUNNERONG MEN RESUME

Evening Star, Issue 25618, 19 October 1945, Page 5

BUNNERONG MEN RESUME

600 Strikers Have Stood Down 194,000 Workers

Bitter Comment on Settlement

People's Rights Sold Gut

(Rec. 11.35 a.m.) SYDNEY, October 19. The Bunnerong strikers will resume work to-morrow * morning, and power will be available for industry this morning. To enable this to be done, current from other power houses will be fed into the Sydney County Council mains. Coal supplies to Bunnerong power station will be resumed to-day. Most of the 194,000 workers stood down since power rationing began on Monday will resume work this morning, but some large firms with hundreds of employees might not reopen to-day, until electricity rationing is officially lifted. They fear that once the employees were admitted they would have to be given a full day’s pay even if electricity/ failures occurred The strike .ended when Mr Chifley ordered the men back to work under pre-stoppage conditions —day work for maintenance men in a 44-hour week. The men against the proposal to work rotating shifts over 44 hours, and Mr Chifley promised that a Federal judge would conduct an "inquiry* into the need for shift work at the power house.

The Wage Losses

Resumption under these conditions was approved by the New South Wales Trades and Labour Council. The unions involved in the dispute will to-day instruct their members who have been on strike to resume work, and any striker who disobeys the instruction of his union will be disciplined and will be liable to fine or expulsion by the union. ,

For the loss of nearly £30,000 in wages in 45 days, the 600 strikers have now gained a Teturn to prestoppage conditions of day work only for the 400 maintenance men who objected to working a 44 hours’ week on rotating shifts, and an undertaking from Mr Chifley that shift allowances for the. 130 “ plant running ” men-will he increased from Is 3d to 2s for the afternoon and night shifts.

Abetting Law-breakers

The rationing of current to householders will be lifted as soon as possible —probably to-day.

The • terms of the strike settlement amounted to “ aiding and abetting law breakers,” said the deputy-chairman of the Sydney County Council, Mr J. 0. Cramer. " The Commonwealth of Australia, its Government, and its people have been made to bow the knee of subservience to 600 Bunnerong law breakers, aided and abetted by the once honourable Trade Union movement.” “Mr Chifley and the Federal and State Governments now stand self-con-fessed to«having sold out the rights of

the people to a small pressure group. They have destroyed the faith of the people in their ability or desire to maintain law and order. To appease the . Bunnerong men the claims have now , been referred for the third time to a legal tribunal. The Bunnerong men have twice previously defied the courts. They have also defied the order issued bv Mr Chifley on May 19 last under the National Security Regulations. This required the men to resume work after the previous 10 days’ strike over maintenance shift work. ‘‘ Mr Chifley’s latest order to the - men has made to look foolish his undertaking to enforce his previ-. ous order. The. whole matter is nauseating.” ‘