'Moral Suasion' Only Power
Referring to the proposed limita- . lion on nation-wide bargaining, thereby localising labour disputes, Mr Lewis said that would be a flagrant restriction on the workers’ legitimate rights It was a red herring to divert public attention from the real monopoly created by corporations during and since the war.
Mr Lewis declared there was nothin's wrong with the coal industry except the ill-treatment given miners. Replying to Senator Pepper, Mr Lewis said that the only power he had with the miners was moral suasion. “The miners believe I will not sell them out.
“I work for thern. I am their agent. They pay me, keep me in good clothes and buy my cigars, but I am careful to say those things the miners want me to say."
Replying to Senator Ball, who suggested that unless the right to strike were limited by legislation, compulsory arbitration or nationalisation of industries would be inevitable, MiLewis said: "Such fearsome things could be kept away by simply giving the miners fair treatment, thereby
eliminating the incentive to strike.
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Bibliographic details
Northern Advocate, 8 March 1947, Page 7
Word Count
177'Moral Suasion' Only Power Northern Advocate, 8 March 1947, Page 7
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