AUSTRALIAN STRIKES

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 December 1945, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN STRIKES

MANY THOUSANDS IDLED RUSH TO GET STORES (N.Z.P.A. Special Australian Correspondent) SYDNEY, December 6. With industry coming to a halt and tens of thousands of workers being thrown idle each day, the effects of the steel, coal and shipping strikes and the consequent electricity and gas restrictions are being felt by the public. Rail, tram and ferry services have been reduced, and except in prescribed periods the use of electricity and gas in homes has been forbidden. The threat of a shortage of food is perturbing housewives, and there has been a rush to buy tinned foods. The public has been warned of a beer and tobacco shortage. City stores and cafes are trying to carry on with emergency lighting, but a number of city retail shops have drastically curtailed their trading hours. Footwear and clothing factories ceased work yesterday. Most city picture theatres will continue their screenings, as they have emergency lighting plants, but practically all suburban theatres were forced to . close. House construction- will slow down because of a shortage of timber, nails and plumbing equipment. The main horse racing fixtures in Svdney and Melbourne will be held on Saturday, in spite of heavy cuts to train services. Greyhound races, which depend on electric power, have been abandoned. SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATIONS SYDNEY, December 6. Unless there is an over-night cavein by the Miners’ Federation, the Ironworkers’ Federation, and the Seamen’s Union, which precipitated the paralysing strike in New South Wales, trade union leaders believe that prospects of an early settlement are very slight. Responsible elements in the trade union movement fear that unless the strikes are settled before the middle of the month, coal production in particular will not be resumed until early in the New Year, because many coalminers will have gone away for their Christmas holidays. This would mean that, with no coal being produced before the New Year, there would be little prospect of normal production before the middle of next year. Such a state of affairs would involve the rationing of electricity supplies and train and other essential services for many months. ' The State Minister for Local Government (Mr. Cahill) said he had been advised by departmental officers that further restrictions on the use of gas and electricity will be necessary if there are no prospects of an early settlement of the strike. Commencing on Saturday, more flian 300 passenger trains to the country will be cancelled. These cuts are additional to the heavy reductions previously imposed on normal services because of the steady shrinkage o< coal supplies. Neither do they take into account the restriction of goods traffic, which came into effect yesterday. . ITT . , . The Sydney “Sun’ says: 'Highly secret negotiations which are going on to-day among Commonwealth Ministers and executive officers of the Australasian Council of Trade Unions may lead to a solution of the steel, coal and shipping strikes. The Ministers concerned in these negotiations are hoping that they may achieve a solution for presentation to a conference of trade union delegates to the executime of the Australasian Council of Trade Unions in Sydney to-morrow. “The President of the Australasian Council (Mr. Clarey) left Canberra by aeroplane to-day to confer m Melbourne with the Federal Minister of Labour (Mr. Holloway), who, it is understood, is a leading figure in the secret negotiations. These developments link with the proposal put to yesterday’s Canberra conference by Mr. Chifley, that Mr. Holloway and Mr. Clarey should co-operate in negotiating a final settlement of the various strike issues.” IRONWORKERS’ DEMANDS. CONFERENCE PROGRESS. (Rec. 11.30 ami.) SYDNEY, December /. There is still no sign of a strike settlement. No decisions were reached when representatives of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Federal Ministers conferred in Melbourne last night, with representatives of the Broken Hill Proprietary. This conference, which was initiated by Mr. Chifley, considered the Ironworkers’ Association’s terms for' a settlement of the steel strike. The ironworkers’ terms are: Firstly, reinstatement of the shop delegate, D. Parker, whose dismissal at Port Kembla led to the steel strikes. Secondly, recognition by the Broken Hill Proprietary of the Ironi workers’ Association. Thirdly, re- : cognition of seniority and no victimisation. Fourthly, the Broken Hill Proprietary to confer within seven days of the resumption ol work on claims for wage increases and improved working conditions. It is understood that the Broken Hill Proprietary directorate .agreed to set out its views on the terms put to 'it on behalf of the Ironworkers’ Association, and that the directorate’s views will be considered in Sydney to-day, when the full executive of the A.C.T.U. meets representatives of the unions concerned in the strike. After the Melbourne conference, Mr. Clarey, President of the A.C.T.U., said: “The conference was most heartening and made more real progress than any discussions since the .steel strike began in September.” The Federal Minister of Labour (Mr. Holloway) said: “No decisions of vital importance were taken but the conference represented a bold step to reach a settlement.” ANOTHER DISPUTE. As the effects of the strike and power restrictions snowball, more and more workers are losing their jobs. To-day 250,000 New South Wales workers are idle. Meanwhile, a strike unconnected with the coal or steel industry disputes, begins to'day at Bunnerong powerhouse, where about 100 maintenance engineers ceased work, because of a dispute about the suspension of a fitter. They demand his "reinstatement and the dismissal from Pyrmont powerhouse of a partly incapacitated veteran of two wars* who, the union alleges, was a strike breaker during the last dispute at Bunnerong. The fitter, was suspended because he refused to link up a pipe laid by men engaged during the recent Bunnerong strike. The fitter claimed that, .the pipe had been laid by non-union labour.

The works of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company will close next week, because coal stocks are exhausted. This will stop jam-making and fruit canning and more than 1000

tons of apricots may have to be ploughed into the ground. r. COAL PRODUCTION. SYDNEY, December 6,;;.i Recurring strikes’by coalminers in New South Wales have resulted in a determination by Victoria and South Australia to become self-sufficient in coal. The Commonwealth Coal Com- ' missioner (Mr. N. Mighell) said that this would cause a loss of 1,500,000 tons a year in the New South Wales coal export trade, and would result in hundreds of New South Wales miners losing their jobs.—Mr. Mighall added' that there was not the slightest doubt in the world that Victoria could secure from her brown coal deposits all the fuel she needed for her own industries. South Australia was just .as . keen to be rid of dependence on the * New South Wales coalminers, arid was ' planning to produce all her locdl coal needs from the field at Leigh Creek.