LONDON BUILDERS' STRIKE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13395, 1 June 1914, Page 9

LONDON BUILDERS' STRIKE.

(Press Assn.— By Telegraph— Copyright.) LONDON,. May 31. The provincial masters are not, keen on the lock-out. The. Federation Council meet within ten days to take the ballot necessary befor a national lock-out. A stumbling block to a settlement is the employment of non-unionists, and, to a lesser degree, their non-recogni-tion. The masters are convinced that a continuance of lightning strikes will paralyse trade. The method was for the workmen to appoint a certain day for the production of a fellow-worker's ticket, and, if it was not produced, a strike was called without notice. After twenty lightning strikes,, the masters determined to secure a prohibitive, guarantee, which was refused. The strikers number 25,000 out of 150,000 workers involved m the building trades. Of the stTilders, 14,000 are- skilled workers. N

The dispute at present only affects the London Master Builders' Association, with a membership of. 300, and which does not represent the whole of. the building trade. The men's executive states that the men will receive 15s weekly strike pay, which will be increased to 20s m some instances by local contributors, according to the* wealth of the local allied trades unions.

Of 11,000 laborers, the bulk received 7s, and some to 12s 6d. Manv — chiefly newly-joined members — are dependent on street- collections, and they receive as low as 2s.

Many strikers caii obtain employment with builders outside the Masters' Association, and will contribute to the general fund. "the strike exchequer is rapidly depleting.