LABOUR MATTERS

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16988, 10 November 1920, Page 9

LABOUR MATTERS

BASIC WAGE CLAIMED.

(By Cable—Press Association—Copjrirht.) (Australian and N.Z. wfible Association.; MELBOURNE, November 9. The Commonwealth public servants are agitating for a basic? wage, and have decided to inundate Parliamentarians with 10.000 letters to each member. The pestering will continue till the request is granted. UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE. (Renter's Telerrams.! LONDON, November S. Thp new Out-of-\Vork Act operates from to-day. It applies to all employees, including those _ engaged m other than manual occupations, excepts ing agriculturists and domestic servants, whose remuneration does not exceed £200 annually. Nearly 12,000,000, of whom-ontf-third are women, arc now insured, as compared with 4.000,000 m 1911. The standard weekly contributions range from lOd fcr men to 4£d for girls, divided between the employers and the employees. The weekly benefits range from 15s to 6s respectively. STRIKE IN BERLIN. (Received November 9th, 8.55 p.m.) BERLIN. November 9. The strike is spreading amongst all municipal workers. It is fearod that if the Citizens' Emergency Corps intervenes, the extremists will m«KO the anniversary of tho Revolution the occasion for sanguinary resistance. fA message published yesterday said: A lightning Strike of electricians deprived the city of practically the whole of its electric light, and a*lso stopped the trams. It -is roportod that tho strikers will provide current for public j purposes, fearing tho intervention of the citizens' emergency organisation, which always is ready for such cases.]