Miners And Tunnellers In N.S.W. Strike Clash

Grey River Argus, 28 October 1948, Page 9

Miners And Tunnellers In N.S.W. Strike Clash

SYDNEY. Oct 26

Clashes between the striking coalminers and tunnellers empoyed on the Kemeira project occurred late last night. Blows were struck, but no injury required medical attention. Miners attacked four men in a taxi at the Mount Kembla post office and tried to drag them, from the vehicle, but the driver managed '0 got ihe taxi away. Several taxi drivers, have told the tunnellers they can no longer accept fares to the mine entrance, because of the fear of reprisals. The miners- are placing a ban on all tradesmen who supply the tunnellers and threaten that they will drive them from the district, as trade is almost entirely dependent on the patronage of the miners. REFUSED TO JOIN UNION The tunnellers have reaffirmed their decision not to join the Miners Federation. The purpose of the Kemeira tunnel is to drive three miles through tne mountain, so that coal from Keira Kembla and Nebo leases can then be carried on one railway line to Fort Kembla.

Thp- tunnellers affirm that they are not coal-miners and they will leave the job directly they reach coal.. One member of the Australian Workers’ Union employed on the iob, said that, if they had proof they were being used to break the Miners’ Federation, they would walk off the job to a man. But now that pickets had been used, they would not join the Miners’ Federation under any consideration. WORK CONTINUED Picket lines, organised bv the Australian Miners’ Federation failed to halt work on the Kemeira tunnel, which was recommenced on time at 11 n.m. yesterday after the weekend break. Police escorted members of the Australian Workers’ Union through the picket line. As four detectives in a police car drove ahead of a taxi and a truck carrying 15 tunnellers, the pickets hooted and yelled. Soine mine worxers walked past the pickets withom being molested, and others drove vehicles to the mine entrance. The demand by the Miners eration that 60 members of the tralian Workers’ Union employed, on the tunnel should join the federal ion has caused a coal loss of over loO.0(1. tons. It is understood that the. terms offered to the federation at the abortive conference last week are still being discussed and that a formula may be approved by the miners central council to-day.