AFTERMATH OF THE STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 24, 23 October 1917, Page 6

AFTERMATH OF THE STRIKE

LOSS OF REGISTRATION AND ■ PREFERENCE. Mr. Justice Heydon, in the Industrial Court, Sydney, on September 25, tan. celled the registration) of the Federated Engine Drivers' Association of Australia (coast district). In delivering his judg-. inent, Mr. Justice Heydon mentioned that there were mitigating circumstances, and said that the union secretary, Mr. Allans, deserved great credit for much of what he had done. When the union got registration it had to give an un. dertaking that it would not enter upon any strike, and particularly not .upon any sympathy strike. This was expressly required by Mr. Justice Higgins, andapparently was really_a condition of his making an award, in coming out on strike, therefore, tho -union had broken faith with the community. Though the executive had for a time exerted itself weakly against the strike; it did not do so' strongly, but allowed itself to be dragged along by the strikers, and only issued a definite order when the strike was clearly beaten, and the men themselves were anxious to get back. Tho union had particularly failed to deal with the strike of the Newcastle branch, where the local president an 3 secretary had been most active in calling and keeping out the men. The members of tho union at the Broken Hill Proprietary Company's works, to the number of ISO, had left work abruptly in a body, though their doing so involved serious risk to machinery. The union was represented on the strike defence committee, which was an endorsement of the strike. jri addition to cancelling the registration Mr. Justice Heydon directed tha cancellation of any preference clauses which might eixiet in any of the State engine-drivers' awards.