UNION AT THROAT OF UNION

Chronicle (Levin), 14 June 1946, Page 5

UNION AT THROAT OF UNION

— Received Thursday, .8.45 p.m. SYDNEY, June 13. The New Zealand and Australian coalmining industry is seriously threatened by an industrial dispute which has now been in progress over five weeks. It concerns workers at the j Nobel explosives factory at Deer Pai'K, | Victoria, which is the only establisfiment in Australia making mining explosives. As such it is the sottrce froin which New Zealand draws the bullc oi its supply.The strike, which has completely paralysed production, results directiy : from a clash between nnions. Prior to the war, workers in the factory haa I their own union known as the Arnis Lx- j plosives and Munition Workers' Union. This body amalgamated with the Ironworkers' Union of which the Pederal secretary is Mr. E. Thornton. Of all workers' organisations in Australia, tne Ironworkers' Union is the most militanx and most completely Communist controlled. Recently Mr. Thornton gave new proof of his adherence to Marxist doctrines and the Russian way of lue when he opposed Mr. J. L. Moloney, former Australian Minister to Moscow, in a heated debate on the pnblic platform. Recent activities of the union in violently opposing attempts ot some sections to break away and set up organisations of their own, have mdicated a battle between the Communists and anti-Communists witlnn the main union. * Oue of the first sections so to breax away was the Explosives Workers' Union. It was a far from painless operation and charges of pliysicai violence and illegal actions were made against the ironworkers' officials. Prominent in effecting the division was Mr. H. Lloyd, an . employee oi Nobel 's factory. For this act he was expelled from the Ironworkers' Union which promptly demanded that Nobeis should deny hina employment. When the firm . refused the Ironworkers' Union called other factory workers out on strike. The union intends to declare black all explosives wherever produced untii Mr. Lloyd has been dismissed. Apparently he is to be barred from working aUywhere where members oi the Ironworkers' Union are employed. The latest development is that i'our safety men who had been allowed by the union to remain on duty, have now been given notice. They are the enginedrivers who attended the boilers, producing stearn to keep the explosives at a safe temperature. Their dismissai indicates that explosives previousiy stored at the factory have been removed and that the firm is prepared for a long fight. The unions have retaliated by warning that they are prepared to call the watersiders out if an attempt is made to bring Canadian explosives here. Already one union official has criticised the firm's action in heated terms as being "aimed at embarrassing the Government through tne effect of the strike on the coal industry. ' ' Meanwhile the flow of coal from the mines, which was jnst beginning to reach encouraging proportions after recent disputes, is being impeded again. It is believed that the same position exists in New Zealand and that explosives there are in even shorter supply than in the Apstralian coalfields.