THE COAL STRIKE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23662, 22 May 1940, Page 6

THE COAL STRIKE

SETTLEMENT TERMS COST TO MEN AND STATE TWO AND HALF MILLIONS . The strike of Australian coalmine« which was settled or> Thursday last had lasted 10 weeks, directly • involved 23,000 mineworkers, and meant a | ()SS in wages of approximately £1.000.000 About 20,000 other employees were thrown out of work, and their loss j n wages is estimated at £500.000. It h ns also been estimated that the loss to the Government was approximately £1.000,000.

The terms on which the strike was settled wero ahnounced by the Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, as follows:

(1) The combined unions concerned so as to maintain continuity of p ro l duction, undertake during the war to abide by the awards of the Court in respect of any industrial dispute. Resort can only be had to the industrial machinery provided by law.

(2) That, upon such undertaking being given, the Commonwealth Government, conditional on work being re. sumed, agrees to provide for the withdrawal of all free labour which has taken the place of the members of the combined mining unions during the strike and who were members of these unions at the inception of the strike, (3) The said unions agree that work shall be resumed immediatelv.

(4) On the date of resumption, on the assurance of the unions, the Chief Judge of the Arbitration Court ha? undertaken to call a conference. The conference shall called and presided over by a "Judge of the Arbitration Court.

(4) That on the failure of the parties to agree on-the outstanding differences those differences shnll be referred to the Court for; immediate determination. (6) That in respect of approximately 60 men previously employed at Mainland Extended, who under the above terms would not be re-employed at that mine, the Commonwealth Government, in co-operation with the Government of New South Wales, undertakes to find suitable employment, for them as soon as possible.