THE SYDNEY STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 1, 26 September 1917, Page 5

THE SYDNEY STRIKE

INDICATIONS OF EARLY TERMINATION v FINAL PHASE ENTERED UPON SETTLEMENT TERMS By Telegraph-Prces Association-Copyright. (Rec. September 25, 10.20 p.m.) Sydney, September 25. There is every indication that the* final phase of the strike has been, entered upon with the conference between Cabinet and the miners' representatives now . sitting. A satisfactory agreement has been hourly expected since the Strike Defence Committee formally declared the etrike off on Wednesday night and the ■waterside workers almost simultaneously' ■ decided to resume. The outstanding difficulty lias been the coal position. Although' the men have reported for work, very , little is available, owing to the shortage > of coal. It is anticipated that with the settlement of this trouble the seamen al» will resume forthwith. : STORY OF THE GRADUAL COLLAPSE STATE'S AUTHORITY VINDICATED. By Telegraph—Press Aenociation. Auckland, September 25. On the night of September 8 a settle-* ment of the New South Wales railway and tramway strike, which had lasted for 38 days, was announced on terms upholding the authority of the Government, With the. settlement of the tramway and railway strike tho men remaining idle — and they were a large numbers-were those who had struck in sympathy irt New South Wales and other States. Several o£ the Sydney unions yielded oiu. September 17. Eight meetings of craft. unions were held to consider the recommendations of the Strike Committee.Eight unions, representing an aggregate ' of 15,000 members, all agreed to follow the reoommendations of the Strike Defence Committee. The boilermakers, moulders, carpenters, ironworkers, and. amalgamated engineers at iheir meetings agreed to return to work only in prirat/» shops and Government dockyards, while, the blacksmiths, shipwrights, federated . engine-drivers (stationary) and firemen, coachbuUdera, and wood and coal carters , resolved to resume in all shops. When the basis of settlement with the railwaymen and tramwayrnen was drawn up on September 17 at interviews between the Industrial Commissioner and striker? representatives, the Ministers knew.that : the end was only a matter of hours.. The unions, when asked to etate their bedrock ideas, were found to be -verylittle at variance with the terms the Government indicated nine days before. The retention of loyalists and the reemployment of all strikers were the only, possible obstaoles to a settlement. The card 6yatem was accepted, as it could have been before the strike or a week afterwards, when at the conference between the Cabinet and the strike leaders, llr. leaser (the Chief Commissioner) with facts and arguments left the men s delegates without a leg to stand on. K«solute as the Government had been ore that point, it was equally determined not to permit the victimisation of loyalists. . Terms of Settlement. The terms of settlement were:— 1. The card system as existing on August 1 to be continued, and at the end. of three months a Koyal Commission to be appointed to inquire into and determine whether its 'operations are just or otherwise, and should be continued. 2 In the operation of the card system every man shall every day have an opportnnity of inspecting and. initialling his card relating to the previous day s work. 3 Unions to submit full lists of gner* anoes to a Special Commissioner for Condilution appointed under the Industrial Arbitration Act of 1912. . i. Such of the grievances as raised-by the issues which fall within the jurisdiction of the Court of Industrial Arbitration are to be immediately referred by or through the said Commissioner to the Court. ' . ' ... 5. Such of the grievances as raise issues which are not withinthe jurisdiction of the Court are to be referred bv the Commissioner to Cabinet, which will immediately amend the Mustaal Arbitration Acts, m> as to give the Court iurisdiction over all matters which nre Industrial, but not matters of business management. . G The Railways Commissioner is to have discretion in filling all vacanoies, but in making appointments prior consideration is to be given to the claims of applicants who were in the service of the Commissioner on or before Aug°7 It is mutually understood .that work j shall be resumed without resentment, and employment' offered without vindictive-, There were unmistakable signs of re-; lief amongst strike leaders and employees that the disastrous venture had ended. The result was not what the unions. had hoped for, but distress and <iis-, content had tempered stubborness, and, it was recognised . that, an unbending j policy could not be sustained.any longer.;! It was recently reported by cable that, "the wl'arf labourers worK| last week, and that negotiations oep»-| ceeding with the coalminers,. and ,-Ehat Ministers are hopeful of an early EettleTho strike- has also affected the seamen, but no information has been received as to the later developments on the waterfront. ' ■ v