RAIL STRIKE CALL IN FRANCE IS OPEN COMMUNIST CHALLENGE

Wanganui Chronicle, 27 November 1947, Page 5

RAIL STRIKE CALL IN FRANCE IS OPEN COMMUNIST CHALLENGE

Recd. 10 p.m. London, Nov. 26. The Government is understood to be preparing a Bill to make strikes illegal unless preceded by majority votes by secret ballot.

The “Daily Express” correspondent emphasises that the C.G.T.’s decision to call a general rail strike was made while the delegation was in consultation with M. Schuman (Prime Minister) and before the results of the discussion were known. M. Leon Jouhaux, leader of the anti-Communist minority in the C.G.T., was a member of the delegation which met M. Schuman and after the meeting was still unaware that the C.G.T. executive had decided to issue a strike call.

The corresnondent says the strike order is the Communists’ all-out challenge to M. Schuman. Reuter’s correspondent says it is not yet possible to say how far the strike call has been obeyed. The situation at Paris railway stations was unchanged early today. Local trains w r ere still almost completely strike-bound, but express trains to the Channel ports and Germany were still running. Sixtv per cent, of the railwaymen at Lille and 65 per cent, at Diion voted against the strike. At Melun and Poitiers those favouring the strike were also in the minoritv. There are 480,000 railwaymen ir. France, of whom 350 000 are in unions affiliated to the C.G.T.