AUSTRALIAN LABOUR

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 October 1945, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN LABOUR

DISCONTENT WIDESPREAD ■- COAL STOCKS CRISIS .; SYDNEY, October 4. Officials of the New South. Wales Labour Council to-day asked tne Federal Government to intervene m the Bunnerong power house dispute,, which is now in its thirty-second d? The Acting-Secretary of the Labour Council (Mr. F. Kelly, M.L.C.) said: “If the Sydney County Council introduces ‘free’ labour at Bunnerong it will be pulling on a fight with the trade union movement throughout Australia.” The general-manager of the . Sydney County Council (Mr. D. J. Nolan) earlier said that returned servicemen would be'appointed io positions at the Bunnerong power station to replace the strikers. Some servicemen had already applied for emnloyment. ' At a conference with representatives of the Labour Council Mr. Nolan said that the County Council had no power to grant a 40-hour five-shift week with 44 hours pay and an additional 2/- a shift for the afternoon and night shifts as suggested by the Labour Council. The only proper course was for tne unions to lodge an application for a variation of the award. In reply to 3. further proposal that the stiikeis should be permitted to return to work on the pre-strike conditions, Mr. Nolan said that the only conditions for a resumption were those set down by the Industrial Commission, namely a continuous rotating shift roster on a'44-hour week basis with an allowance of 2/- a shift for the afternoon and night shifts—this to apply to a limited number of employees who would be transferred from day to shift work. Meanwhile, with coal stocks at their lowest ebb for five years the Commonwealth Coal Commissioner (Mr. N. R. Mighell) has applied a 15 per cent, cut on coal supplies to manufacturers from Monday. The cut will operate in all but shipping, railways, electricity, and gas undertakings, water and sewerage boards, food factories, and hospitals, and such other industries as are certified as absolutely essential. Twenty mines are idle in New South Wales to-day. Six thousand miners are affected and the coal loss is nearly 20,000 tons, the greatest for months. A total of almost 17,000 persons are idle indicating the seriousness of the general industrial discontent.. Members of the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, who saw the Prime Minister .(Mr. Chifley) in Canberra to-day, urged that the main reasons for the general discontent, as distinct from those leading to individual stoppage, were the demands for a 40-hour week, reduced taxation, and elimination of taxation on incomes below £3OO, afid a new referendum seeking greater powers for the Federal Government, particularly for control of prices, investments and materials.

GOVERNMENTS' REFUSAL. (Recd. 11.55 a.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 5. Union leaders have made a last minute attempt to avert a widespread extension of the Bunnerong dispute, by appealing direct to the Sydney County Council over the .head of its General Manager, Mr. D. J. Nolan. While the Council, directs the policy, Nolan at present controls staff matters, and thus the handling of the dispute is entirely in his hands. Union leaders had asked the Council itself to negotiate for a settlement of the strike. Today, Nolan was fulfilling his threat to advertise for competent ex-ser-vicemen to replace Bunnerong’s 600 strikers. If they are engaged, Union officials have told the Council that every effort will be made to bring about a general State-wide strike. The State Government’s attitude is that it cannot take over Bunnerong, as has been suggested, because it would still be found by the National Security Regulations, requiring strikers to return to work. The Federal Government has informed Union leaders that it cannot take specific action with regard to one electricity undertaking in one city, but could only take over Bunnerong by nationalising the electricity supply throughout the Commonwealth, and it, was not prepared to solve the Bunnerong dispute in that way. For these reasons, Union leaders say they now prefer to precipitate a general cessation of the industry and a complete blackout of electricity sunolies in Sydney, believing that the Federal and State Governments will then be compelled to take immediate action. Speaking at a coal inquiry, the Mr Justice Davidson, said: “I have abandoned all hope of trying to get any peace in the industry under the present conditions. Something must be doiie. If this sort of thing persists there will be a crash somewhere.” Mr. Justice Davidson’s remarks followed statements by owners and union leaders’ statements that the position was becoming chaotic.

MELBOURNE TRAMWAYS. MELBOURNE, October 4. Accepting the offer of the Tramways Board to reinstate 10 suspended men and introduce a six-day week within a fortnight, 3000 tramway employees, at a mass meeting this afternoon, agreed to call off the strike and resume work at midnight. This means the resumption of all-night services to-night and normal services from to-morrow morning. During the period of the stoppage the board lost £23.000 in revenue and the men £BOOO in wages.