GRAVE INDUSTRIAL CRISIS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 227, 25 September 1945, Page 5

GRAVE INDUSTRIAL CRISIS

THOUSANDS OF EMPOLYEES IDLE IN NS W.

Recd. 8 p.m. Sydney, Sept. 24. The gravest industrial crisis for years to-day faced New South Wales, where between 15,(W0 and 20,000 are idle, because of disputes. Heavy industries, power and light, coal and meat production, shipping and printing are seriously dislocated, and it is feared that the stoppages may extend.

The Bunnerong powerhouse dispute is in its 22nd day and seems as far as ever from settlement. A strike, which began at the works of the Australian iron and Steel Limited, Port Kemblr,, has extended to three subsidiary collieries, involving a total of more than 12,000 men. Hundreds of printers are unemployed, following a strike which began some weeks ago. Employees, claiming a 40-hour week, ceased work at the end of that period. The employers, arguing that they could not accept this, closed the prinieries. The Sidney waterfront was brought to a standstill to-day by a dispute over the use of mechanical equipment on the wharves. More than 390 G men were at picking up centres, but nobody offered for work, and 34 ships were without labour to-day. At the Riverstone Meat Works 1400 employees are idle, because of the refusal of the management to meet a claim of the wool and other workers that a special man be employed to treat small skins. In audition to the three southern collieries involved in the Port Kembla dispute, nine New South Wales mines were idle to-day, and about 8000 tons of coal will be lost to production. A serious upheaval in the metal industry is threatened by the stoppage of the Port Kembla men, and by a move by the State Council of the !■ ederated Ironworkers’ Association for State-wide stop-work meetings. These meetings would involve approximately 8000 metal-workers at Newcastle, Port Kembla and in all the metal shops working under State awards.

Six thousand men are involved in the general stoppage at the works of Australian Iron and Steel, Ltd., and Lysaghts (Port Kembla) Ltd., following the dismissal of an employee in the coke ovens section of the Port Kembla steel works. Twelve unions are involved in the dispute and four more unions may join the strike.

The employee was dismissed for refusing to do the work of another man who was absent.

Because of the coal shortage caused by the strike of miners at the Collie coalfields, transport in the Perth metropolitan area is almost at a standstill, says a messc~e from Perth (Western Australia). -ill trams and trolley buses in the city stopped running on Saturday afternoon, and Perth was practically blacked out on Saturday and Sunday nights. Except where emergency power supply is available, heavy industry has been brought to a stop and many people have been made Idle.