lore Railwayman k Back To Work

Northern Advocate, 11 March 1948, Page 5

lore Railwayman k Back To Work

BRISBANE. Thu. (1 p.m.).—The Trades and Labour Council has decided to ask the Australasian Council of Trade Unions to call an Australianwide 24-hour stop-work meeting of a selected number of unions next Wednesday as a protest against the Queensland Government's anti-pic-keting act which is now law. Though the strike leaders are organising an assault on the new law, there are growing signs of a desire on the part of many workers to get the strike over. Greater numbers of railwaymen returned to work yesterday than at any time since the strike began. During the day 140 trains ran. Ipswich miners, who previously voted in favour of 14je strike, 331 291, have asked their district executive to take a fresh vote. IRREGULAR VOTE? It was declared at a special meeting that the voting was irregular as some men raised tw.o hands and one sec tion of the hall was not counted at all. Nearly 500 watersiders who want to return to work have called a meeting for today and union officials have sent a hurried call to Sydney for the Federal secretary (Mr J. Healey). When asked by Mr Bruxner, leader of the Country Party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, whether he approved of the policy of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Railways Union in carrying leading Communists to Queensland to break the law, the Premier (Mr McGirr) replied that he was not aware that anything like that had occurred.

The Trades Hall disputes committee decided yesterday to defy the new anti-strike act.

The measure bans strike pickets and intimidation of workers under penalty of fine or imprisonment. The disputes committee's decision means that picketihg will continue. Branches throughout the state have been advised that if pickets are arrested they should go quietly until every gaol is filled. MORE POLICE Police headquarters brought in reinforcements from the country and every policeman in Brisbane was on duty at 6 a.m. today. The disputes committee in announcing its decision said the new measure was the most vicious ever taken against the trade union movement in Australia.

It said it would call on the assistance of ‘‘he whole of the trade union movement to defeat the act and compel its withdrawal. ___