SYDNEY’S TRAM AND BUS MEN OVERWHELMINGLY VOTE AGAINST STRIKING

Wanganui Chronicle, 21 January 1947, Page 5

SYDNEY’S TRAM AND BUS MEN OVERWHELMINGLY VOTE AGAINST STRIKING

BIG MAJORITY REFLECTS A RENEWAL OF FAITH IN TRADE UNION

Received 10.5 p.m. SYDNEY, Jan. 20. By an overwhelming majority of 3634 to 719, tram and bus men to-day decided to return to work to-night. After a stop-work meeting in the Leichhardt Stadium had reached this decision, union officials said that the services would be restored from the commencement of all-night tram services at 11 p.m. It was decided to defer strike action until the Arbitration Court had delivered judgment on penalty rates, and to abide by the leadership of the Australasian Council of Trade Unions in the matter of a 40-hour week.

A stormy meeting was marked by cries of ''Commo" and “Take him off,” which began when the assistant secretary of the tramways section (Mr. T. Junor) moved that the strike should be continued until the claims were met. An amendment by Mr. A. G. Bagnall, secretary of the bus section, that because of the obvious disapproval of the whole trade union movement, 'the men should return to work and leave the framing of a uniform policy Ito the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, was carried by a margin which astonished even those who had anticipated defeat of the leftwingers.

Sydney’s tramless and busless day is passing off without many untoward incidents. Following the stoppage of all Government-owned trams and buses in Sydney and Newcastle at midnight last night, workers either walked to work this morning or used

emergency transport. Pressure was eased by the refusal of railwaymen to join the 24-hour stoppage, and normal schedules are being maintained by electric trains which serve many Sydney suburbs. Union pickets disrupted an emergency transport servic e organised between Manly wharf and outlying districts by E. D. Darby, M.L.A. The police had to project one truck driver who carried on. Traffic congestion along all the main thoroughfares wa s the traffic policemen’s nightmare, as every type of transport was pressed into service. Joining the stream of walkers and hitch-hikers were thousands of tram busmen making their way to the Leichhardt Stadium, for the mass meeting which finally decided on the return to work. Sydney’s 12G9 metropolitan taxidrivers are rejoicing on the temporary lifting of the ban on multiple fares, and many will earn up to 120 by the end of the day. WATERFRONT PARALYSED. Th e waterfront is paralysed, as 6000 watersidei’s working 45 ships did not report for duty. Though many people* gave up the search for transport, and spent the day at the beaches, the absentee list was not unduly heavy.