STEEL STRIKES SPREAD

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23372, 1 December 1945, Page 5

STEEL STRIKES SPREAD

ALL NORTHERN MINES IDLE Unemnloved Total 27,000 Sydney And. Melbourne Face Blackouts By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright (Rec. 8.20 p.m.) SYDNEY. Nov 30. Disreffwrdiny the direct’on of the New South Wales Trad es and Labour Councils against the extension of the steel disputes, all northern miners kesxan to strike today. Fifbr-nire mines are idle, resultir»ff in the loss of about 38-300 tons of coal—the greatest loss of production in any dav this year. Thus, even anticipating the meeting of their own Central Council, the miners have increased the number of unemployed because of the Port Kemhla and Newcastle steel strikes to about 27,000. Now involved in the disputes are all the Broken Hill Proprietary plants at Port Kembla and Newcastle, Broken Hill Proprietary vessels in both ports, metal manufacturing works in both centres depending upon steel, the northern mines and three Broken Hill Proprietary subsidiary southern plants. The confusion arising from the wide divergence of the policy of the unions concerned in the dispute has been heightened by opposing factions within certain unions themselves. Although the Central Council, the supreme body of the Miners’ Federation, had announced its intention of dealing with the position to-day, the northern body decided on to-day’s strike yesterday. Meanwhile, the moderate union leaders are mobilising their forces to meet the threat of the extremists to precipitate one of the greatest indusrial upheavals the country has known. Victoria and Sout-h Australia face an immediate gas blackout as the result of the shortage of coal. If the miners decide to cease work in sympathy with the steelworkers, gas and electricity undertakings in Sydney will not be able to carry on over the Christmas period, when miners take their holidays. Setback For Extremists The efforts of the Communist-con-trolled unions to force a general strike in New South Wales in support of the ironworkers in their dispute with the Broken Hill Proprietary met with further severe setbacks. The annual conference of the Australian Labour Party in Melbourne, by resolution, strongly condemned attempts being made" to force a general strike. The ironworkers and other tradesmen at several of the larger Sydney engineering plants decided by overwhelming majorities to work next Tuesday in spite of the order from the Ironworkers’ Union for a 24-hoUr stoppage. Supporters of the Labour Party won a battle of tactics at the New South Wales Trades and Labour Cotinc.il by preventing* a vote of the Communistsupported resolution to centralise funds to help the steelworks strikers. A committee representing the land transport group of unions decided to recommend that unions should refuse

to be involved in any dispute whatever, unless they were notifled through the Trades and Labour Council, and were given reasonable time to examine the merits of the dispute. No action was taken by the Federal Executive of the Seamen's Union to call a strike. However, the Northern Management Board of the Miners’ Federation ordered all mineworkers on the northern field to cease work to-dav. The Federal Council of the Union will meet in Sydney to-day to consider a general coal strike. The object of the Northern Miners' Board in ordering complete stoppage on the northern field is to try to force the Federal Government to intervene in the steelworkers’ strike and compel the Broken Hill Proprietary to confer with the deregistered Ironworkers’ Union. The president of the New South Wales Trades and Labour Council. Mr G. Anderson, said he favoured intervention in the steelworks strike by the Prime Minister, Mr J. B. Chifley. The Sydney Seamen’s Union decided to withdraw its members on Sunday night from shins carrying New South Wales coal and New South Wales products of Broken Hill Proprietary and Australian Iron and Steel. The Federal Executive of the Union claimed that the decision would tie up half the vessels trading on the Aus'tralian coast. The general secretary of the Union (Mr Elliott) said that members employed on ships which ordinarily pick up coal from Newcastle and Port Kembla for Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide would now refuse to work these vessels Unless otherwise directed by the New South Wales Labour Council, railwaymen will be called upon to transport all commodities, including coal and steel works products on New South Wales railways, said the State president of the Australian Railways Union (Mr L. Martin), commenting on the seamen’s decision. “My Union is supporting the Prime Minister 100 per cent." The attitude of the Australian Railways Union is somewhat confused by the statement, in Melbourne bv the general president of the Union that in anv strne*’ i” briween the workers and Broken Hill Proprietary, the Union stands for justice for the employees. Cnmnaign Against Communists Following a meeting of the Federal Executive of the Australian Labour Party. Mr F. Walsh, president of the T nter-State labour Conference, said that a campaign Was to be launched against the Commi’n'st influence in trades unions. It had h “°n decked that no member of the labour Party in h's party on any platform, or at any State would be allowed to represent Inheur demonstration o’* function at whipb Communists were officially represented. It is understood that the spearhead of the Labour campaign against the Communists will be in New South Wales.