LABOUR UNREST

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 108, 31 January 1919, Page 5

LABOUR UNREST

DUE TO ARMY DEMOBILISATION THE DEMAND FOR SHORTER HOURS INDUSTRIES IN A SEMI-CHAOTIC STATE By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright London, January 28. Though 172,000 workers arc uow on strike,.and there are many serious symptoms of industrial unrest, the best judges in touch with working men aro of opinion Hvat thcro is no reason for painc. The s.udden strikes are principally clue to the absence of a national solution for the problem of absorbing four million men being demobilised from the Army and Navy. The younger workers are taking advantage of the transitional period, in which many industries aro in a semi-chaotic state, to secure increases of iv,i!»es and reduction of hours.. They are helped by the fact that the Government seems to* be without a concerted Labour policy, and appears to be waiting to be p>;shed into notion. But this condition is uot confined to the Government. It extends to the Labour world. Thus the Clyde engineers are demanding forty i hour?, niul those at Belfast forty-fou.r. If the Government promised a general Eight Hours Act it would materially ease the situation.

The necessity for absorbing 4,000,000 demobilised men is at the root of the present trouble. A typical strike leaflet rims: *'A thousand workmen are being demobilised every day.. Over 100,000 workers have been dismissed from civil employment. The only remedy is that no one must work more-than 4* hours; there must bo no reduction of wages, and no overtime." The difficulties due to demobilisation were illustrated in the mines. When demobilised miners applied for work many of the substitute men were dismissed. Strikes then commenced, not against the reinstatement of the eoidiere, but in favour of the retention of the war-time miner?. The strikers demanded that before anyone was dismissed the six hours? day should bo conceded in, all the mines.

It cannot be denied that the British industrial world is drifting'.into a disordered scramble, in which the strongest union? will get what they want, while the rest of the community will bear the burden which the strongest' have shifted upon their shoulders. The result is that the whole basis of wnge-e-irning will become a mosaic of unfairness and unreason. The majority of the strikes are engineered by irresponsible young men, who have secured election to the shop committees which tire carrying on the propaganda hitherto associated with the shop steward?. The shop committees regard Bolshevism as a, policy for obtaining reform by direct methods and threats of intimidation instead of Parliamentary mean?.—Ans.-N.Z. Cable Assn. SKRIOUS PROBLEM FOR THE NEW PARLIAMENT. London, January 27. Mr. "William Adamson, interviewed on his re-election, to the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Labour Party, said: "The new Parliament will from the beginning be much occupied with the serious problem of industrial unrest which threatens our. productive power." Mr. Adamson defended the miners' claim to a six-hour day, owing to the dangers of the occupation, and said he hoped the Government wonid enact it.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. THE OUTLOOK MORE HOPEFUL COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE SITUATION. (Rec. January 30, 10.10 p.m.) London, January 28. One of the Ministry of Labour officials stated that in regard to settlement, of the strikes the outlook was more hopeful. The trade union executives." wero making great efforts to persuade the London strikers to resume. Both employers and men had held meetings to consHerthe possibility of negotiation. Meanwhile tlie strike, which hitherto had been confined to docks on the north sido of U>e river, has spread to the- Surrey si;le, where three thousand skilled and i-.n----skilled workers have joined the movement. In addition eighteen hundred casuals, in consequence of the stoppage, ware thrown out of. employment. Many food and other ships awaiting repairs aro held up; others are sailing although painting and other repairs are not completed. All the Thames-side dry docks and engineering and repair shops are idle. The stoppage has not yet affected the stevedores and general dock workers. There is a better prospect of a settlement at the Clyde.' The men .met in order to consider the making of/ an overture for negotiations. The Manchester dockers are 6till out but negotiations are afoot and a settlement is probable. Eight thousand miners at Kircaldy aud other Scottish collieries have resumed after a week's strike. Six thousand are out in South Wales, and no negotiations have taken place. Tim Derbyshire miners, refuse to resume until a full settlement is reached, the Nottinghamshire men. have returned to the pits. Belfast remains a serious storm centre. Correspondents describe the situation as little short of a reign of terror. The mob wrecked a large drapery establishment last night because it was using electric light. The' police with barons dispersed' the crowd.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

SHOP STEWARDS' "SHOCK TACTICS" ENDEAVOURS TO STAMPEDE THE GOVERNMENT. London, January 28. Tho Labour correspondent Times" points out that the promoters of the most important strikes are m every instance shop stewards, with whom reckless local officials are usually co-operat-ing. In origin the methods of the Belfast strike are traceable to the instigation of the notorious fiebel Committee of Industrialists established, on the Clyde. Extremists continue to believe it possible to stampede the Government into decisions similar to those vhkb. gave the war-time concessions. The executives dispiay a general inertness, and should resign in favour of bolde* men if they are u/noble to check 'the "shock tactics , of the shop stewards—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

RELEASE OF FOOD STOCKS URGED UNION 'LEADERS' IGNOMINIOUS POSITION: London, January 28. Mr. O'Grady, secretary of the Federation of 'General AVorkers, which has a million memb'ers; urges the Government to release, the stocks of food stored tor war purposes, and also to release building materials for houses. ''I am extremely gratified, he says, "that the employers generally are re'garding industrial problems from a new standpoint. They admit that the workers have been overworked and underpaid, and show a real desire to bring about a better state of things." Some of the newspapers, point out that the trade union leaders are in an ignominious position owing to the linaujthorised strikes, and ask why they have not the courage to resign and emulate the example of Mr. J. H. Thomas in connection with the railwnymen, which nroved highly efficacious in dealing with the recalcitrant following—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

DEVELOPMENTS ON THE CLYDE

FLOURMILL EMPLOYEES CEASE AVORK.

London, January 28. There is a remarkable development on the Clyde, where the employees in oil the brae fionrmills have ceased work m sympathy with the strikers. The carters also took a holiday, though they liava deferred their derision n strike. \ big effort is being msidc to persuade the corporation employees to stop the municipal services. The leader of the movement is Councillor Shinwell, a 'cool and forcefui s-pcaker, who ursjes the necessity for breaking down the barriers between tho different classes of workers with a view

to concerted action. He predicts that unless the union executives (et into closer touch with the members the whole of trade unionism will be endangered.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.