Desperate Efforts To End Tram Strike

Northern Advocate, 15 January 1948, Page 5

Desperate Efforts To End Tram Strike

MELBOURNE, Thur. (10 a.m.) —Desperate efforts were made late on Wednesday night by moderate union leaders and members of the Labour Political Party to settle the tram strike before Parliament meets this afternoon to deal with the Government’s emergency legislation. Whether these efforts succeed will be decided at two meetings today a lunch-hour meeting of employees of the Newport railways powerhouse, and a meeting of the striking tramwaymen early in the afternoon. %

In view of the Government’s determination to get its legislation on the Statute Book, little hope is held out that the moderates will outvote the militants. All unions express alarm at the Government's proposed legislation, which now seems to have become the principal issue of the dispute. Important repercussions may arise from the meeting in Melbourne today of the Federal Council of the Tramways Union, which will discuss the Tramways Board’s proposal to apply to the Arbitration Court for deregistration of the union. The dispute will also be discussed for the first time by the Trades Hall Council which meets tonight, when militants will attempt to gain control of the meeting and consolidate union opposition to the Government’s legislation. UNION REACTION The strength of trade union reaction to the Government's proposal to introduce emergency legislation is indicated by the fact that even the moderate Australian Workers’ Union has pledged support to the strikers. Although the railwaymen as a whole are against striking the state executive of the Australian Railways Union has empowered its chief executive officers to take whatever action they consider necessary in support of the striking tramwaymen. The executive of the Federated Enginedrivers and Firemen’s Association states that it Will make common cause with the tramwaymen and other unions “td resist any attempts by the Government to introduce coercive legislation.” The members of the association work at the Newport power station, which supplies electricity for the trams ant’ trains. The Motor Transport Union has decided that its members will not drive emergency buses if they are asked. The premier of Victoria (Mr T. T. Hollway) said that the Government would not be intimidated, and that essential services would be maintained.

PARLIAMENT TO MEET The State Parliament has been summoned from recess and will meet in a special sitting today to consider the Government's emergency powers bill. This bill seeks for the Government power to acquire the Tramways Board’s 400 buses as well as private buses and cars. Under the bill the Government will be able to request car owners to carry passengers, with the right to charge each passenger. Drivers and passengers will be indemnified against damage or loss. The Government claims that sufficient drivers will be available to run all acquired buses and that police protection will be given the proposed service. In addition to the Tramways Board buses, about 700 private buses at present serving the outer suburban routes will be directed to continue their journey toward the city on specified routes. Garages necessary to maintain buses used in the emergency service can also be acquired under the bill. The Government emphasised that passing of the bill by Parliament would not mean the immediate introduction of emergency services, but only that the Government had power to do so. It is not likely that this would be done unless the railways stopped. far from truth Mr Hollway said that nothing was farther from the truth than the suggestion made by Communist union leaders that the legislation was an attack on the union movement. " • All the Government was doing was to uphold the arbitration law. Mr Chifley’ statement that the present dispute was. the first test of the Hollway administration showed clearly that the strike was political in origin, and that the Labour Party h'ad no intention of trying to support its own legislation. 1 Mr Chifley, added Mr Hollway, had shown that he was more concerned about Labour’s prospects at the next election than about upholding law and order or the rights of th epeople of Victoria. - Many important unions have decided to give full support to the tramwaymen if emergency transport is introduced. These unions have instructed their members not to use such transport to get to work.