AUSTRALIAN MINERS’ CLAIM FOR SHORTER WEEK INOPPORTUNE
SYDNEY, Oct 4 (Recd 11.48 pm).— The miners’ claim for a 35-hour week should be rejected in the public interest as the national economy was at stake, Mr. W. S. Winning, for the Joint Coal Board, told the Coal Industry Tribunal today. He said the Joint Coal Board (a Government body) believed that the issue went beyond the narrow consideration of industrial conditions and directly affected the living standard of all Australians.
Mr Winning declared that the expanding national economy required a substantial increase in coal production. Therefore, it was not possible to contemplate a reduction in working hours at present. The existing coal shortage had already reduced living standards and was adversely affecting the national economy. When coal production increased it might be desirable to award underground miners a 37* hour week, but this would mean an effective working time of only 30 hours. After deducting crib and travelling time, the effective working week of underground miners was 325 hours.
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Wanganui Chronicle, 5 October 1949, Page 5
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168AUSTRALIAN MINERS’ CLAIM FOR SHORTER WEEK INOPPORTUNE Wanganui Chronicle, 5 October 1949, Page 5
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