GENERAL MOTORS STRIKE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23375, 5 December 1945, Page 5

GENERAL MOTORS STRIKE

Move By President Appeal To Workers And Management By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright 17.30 pan.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 3. In a message to Congress announcing that he is establishing a Fact-Finding Board to handle the General Motors strike and the threatened steel strike, President Truman asked Congress for permanent machinery to handle labour disputes in important nationwide industries.

President. Truman said he was asking all General Motors workers tp return to work immediately, and employers to proceed energetically with tuh production. He was making the same appeal to United Steel workers to remain at work pending the FactFinding Board’s finding and recommendations.

'lne t-resident said the recent labour management comerence reaenea some agreements on a lew general p mcipies Out nad not agreed on me an important question ol now to avoid wont stoppages, mereoy not atiamn.g me objective most necessary to oucecssiui i eeoiiveisiou.

■ine mstory of laoour relations has prqveu mat nearly an laoour disputes .an ana sxiotnu ue setuea py si.ueie, nonest collective uargannng, out m t|ie xey industries, wneie iapum' mam|gement cannot compose mnerences, Lie puonc, mruugn me reaerai Government, has a duty co speak and act,” said 'lim z'lrftuelit. lie piuppspd upon certification by tne Secretary ot L.aoour that if a dispute concmuea m spite 01 his efforts, aua mat a stoppage oi work ill tne atiected maustry would vLany affect the puonc interest, tne President or his agent snouia be empowered to appoint a Fact-Finding Board within live days wnerein it would be unlawiul io pail a strike, lockout or change the rates of pay, hours, workmg conuitipns or practices existing before tne dispute. Composition of Board The President said the Board should be composea of three or more outstanding citizens to investigate all the Relevant facts, with power to subpoena individuals and records. The Board should report the facts, with recommendations, within 20 days unless the date was extended by agreement with the approval of the President. The parties would not be legally bound to accept the findings or follow the Board’s recommendations, but the public would know all the facts. The President said he was sure that both sides iri most cases would accept the recommendations. He believed the procedure should be used sparingly, and onlv in t|i" trr’blr irii-r-

est. “This is an immediate programme fair to both sides," he said. "I hope Congress will grant the powers before Christmas and will not adopt repressive or coercive measures against either side. Legislation which would stifle full freedom of collective bargaining would be a backward step, whicn the American people would not tolerate.” ' The president of the American Federation of Labour (Mr William Green) said his organisation could not approve of the President’s proposal, which would be a disadvantage both to employers and workers in many cases.

The united Automobile Workers’ president (Mr R. J- Thomas) announced that General Motors workers would meet on December 8 to discuss President Truman's request to return to work.