SETTLED

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 September 1917, Page 2

SETTLED

(Per Press

Association.)

AUCKLAND, This Day

On .September tJth a scttlemoiut of the New South Wales! railway and' tramway strike, which, had lasted for thirty-eight days, was announced on terms upholding the authority of tlw Government.

■Several other unions yielded later.

Might meetings, of the Craft lJiuof-„ on September iTth agreed to follow the Strike Committee's reoommanaution and return to work, though the boilermakers, moulders:, carpenters, ironworkers, and engineers stipulated only to resume in private shops and the Government dockyards.

When a basis! of settlement with the raiUvayineh and tramwaymen was drawn up on September 7ih at interviews between the Industrial Commissioner and strikers' representatives the Ministers knew that the end ;wasi only a matter of hours. The unions when asked to state their bedrock ideas were found to be very little at variance with the tonus that the Government had indicated nine days before. The retention of loyalists and the re-employment of all strikers were the. only possible obstacles to a settlement.

The card system was 1 accepted, as* it could have been before the strike or a week afterwards, when at a conference between the Cabinet and the strike leaders. Mr. Fraser, Chief Commissioner, with facts and arguments left the men's delegates l without a leg to stand on.

Resolute as the Government had been on that point, it wag equally determined not to permit victimisation of the loyalist section.

SYDNEY STRIKE ENDED AGREEMENT DRAWN UP CARD SYSTEM RETAINED COMMISSION SET UP MEN'S AIMS NOT ACHIEVED

TERMS OF SETTLEMENT

The terms of settlement were ass follows :

(1) The card system as existing on August Ist to bo continued and at the end of three months' a lloyal Commission to be appointed to inquire and determine whether its operation were .just or otherwise and whether it should be continued.

(2) In the operation of the card system every man shall every day have an opportunity of inspecting and initialling his card relating to the previous day's work.

(•'!) The unions to submit a full list of grievances to a special commissioner for arbitration.

(!) Such of the grievances as raised issues; which fall within the jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court to be immediately referred thereto. •

(o) Other grievances to bo referred by the commissioner to the Cabinet, which, will amend the Arbitration Act so as to give the Court jurisdiction over all industrial matters), but not matters of business management.

(G) The Railway Commissioner to have discretion in tilling vacancies l . (7) Work to resume without resentment and employment to be offered without vindictiveness.

There were unmistakeable signs' of relief among strike leaders and ctnnlovees! that the disastrous vetatuv© had ended. ■ ■ The result if? not what the unions hoped for. but the distress and discontent had tempered stubbornness, and it was recognised that an unbending policy was no longer sustainable.