COST OF STRIKES TO TRADES UNIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14143, 19 August 1909, Page 4

COST OF STRIKES TO TRADES UNIONS.

Last year's strikes and lock-outs in England, says Engineering, cost the Federation of Trades Unions no less -than £122,819 14s. It was fortunate for that body that in the preceding years strikes were few, comparatively - speaking, - and not of great magnitude. Thus in 1908 the reserve fund increased, to £162,210 8s 9d; but it fell to £74,729 4s 4d by the end of the financial year, the loss on the year's working being £86,800 4s 2d. In the cotton dispute alone some 45,000 members claimed benefit. Then there was the engineers' dispute* on the north-east coast, which led to a lock-out of . short duration. ' In all, the council had" to deal with 638 disputes in the year, involving about 55,000 persons, exclusive of the unfortunate dispute on the north-east coast. In the matter oi strike benefit the card and blowing-room operatives in the cotton trade . drew . .no less than £48,722 10s lOd ; the cotton . spinners, £14,677 3s 4d; the engineers, £34,474 Is 8d ; the shipwrights, £6933 lis 8d; the weavers, £5988 12s Id ; and the machineworkers, £5033 16s Bd.