LABOUR DISPUTES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21549, 31 October 1944, Page 3

LABOUR DISPUTES

PREVALENCE IN N.S.W. SERIOUS COAL LOSSES UNION LEADERS’ CONCERN (Special Australian Correspondent.) (10 a.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 31. An upsurge of industrial unrest in New South Wales has challenged the Allied war successes for Australian public attention in the news. More than 6000 workers in Sydney alone will be involved in labour disputes this week. The watersiders, rubber and glass workers are those mainly concerned. Stoppages in the New South Wales mines have brought coal losses for October to 165,000 tons —the biggest loss since last March. Inconveniences suffered by the Sydney public at various stages of the month have included lack of regular daily newspapers, a meat famine and a taxi and goods transport stoppage. On all sides grave concern is being expressed at the number of industrial disputes. Labour leaders fear the effect in their electorates of this unrest and are anxious to see stable conditions, particularly in the coal mines.

No observer has been able to diagnose clearly the causes of the present industrial lawlessness, but war tiredness is certainy a main basic reason. Both employers and union representatives have claimed during the past week that Communist influences are to blame —but their published statements have been couched in general terms with no supporting proofs. Some social philosophers de--1 clare that Australia is witnessing the beginnings of a syndicalist revolution aimed at the eventual trade union control of society. In terms of population, Australia is the strongest trade union nation in the world —with more than 1,200,000 unionists. In the past five years, union membership has grown by nearly 400,000. Many other reasons have also been advanced for the deterioration in relations between employers and employees. Tne Sydney Daily Telegraph’s public opinion poll, published yesterday, shows that 90 per cent of the people deplore the industrial unrest, 50 per cent blame Government weakness and 85 per cent advocate more severe disciplinary measures against the strikers.

The seriousness of the position is indicated by published figures of the growth of industrial troubles. In 1940, Australia had 350 industrial disputes—fewer than in the two previous years. In 1941 the figure was 567, in 1942 about 600 and in 1943 nearly 800. This year’s trend is still upward. In 1942 nearly 1,000,000 working days were lost in industrial stoppages —and this figure was almost equalled in the first quarter of the current year.