Coal Strikes Now Outlawed In Australia

Northern Advocate, 13 March 1944, Page 4

Coal Strikes Now Outlawed In Australia

SYDNEY, This Day.

Coal strikes are now outlawed in Australia as a result of special Com’rnonwealth regulations gazetted by the Federal Attorney-General (Dr Evatt).

The regulations take from miners the right to strike, even with the approval of the Miners’ Federation. Executive. From now on every Australian coal miner absenting himself from work must have reasonable excuse for doing so. No miner may cease work on the ground that the Miners’ Federation has authorised a stoppage. Previously stoppages could be authorised by a “duly constituted covering body or organisation of employees.” This provision, as applied to the Miners’ Federation, has now been repealed. More than 1000 miners and their wives applauded Dr. Evatt when he made an impassioned appeal for peace on the New' South Wales coalfields at the opening of Cessnock show. Fearless Control In frank words lie told the miners that from now on the Federal Government would fearlessly control the industry. A long burst of applause followed an earnest reception of Dr. Evatt’s address during which he waved a closed fist of the audience, often shouting until his voice broke. Dr. Evatt warned miners that they were rapidly losing all public, union and Government sympathy, destroying their hopes of post-war economic security and jeopardising the lives of Australian soldiers. Declaring that 2,000,00(1 tons of coal have been lost in the past 12 months in a succession of “miserable” strikes, none of which had involved a single principle, Dr. Evatt said that the Australian Government had to refuse pleas for coal from South America, India and New Zealand. It had been impossible to send urgently needed coal to New Zealand since last June.