COMMUNIST MOVE TO SAVE FACE IN QUEENSLAND

Grey River Argus, 3 April 1948, Page 8

COMMUNIST MOVE TO SAVE FACE IN QUEENSLAND

Government Maintains Attitude to Strike

BRISBANE, April 2. The biggest industrial defeat ever suffered by the Communist Party in Australia is foreshadowed by the decision of the Communist-controlled Central Disputes Committee to recommend that the railway workshops men accept a rise of 12s 4d weekly, with proportionate increases for unskilled and semi-skilled workers.

The decision was reached early this morning after all-night efforts to obtain a face-saving settlement. The terms now accepted by the disputes committee were offered early in the strike by the Queensland Government when it indicated that it would not oppos e a 12s 4d increase in the Arbitration Court. If the committee’s recommendation is adopted by the mass meetings of railwaymen to-day. they will return to work on Tuesday or Wednesday.

In a series of discussions last night, the Premier, Mr Hanlon, refused to increase the Government offer, or repeal the antipicketing legislation.

Th P committee’s hand was forced by reports that the men at Toowoomba, Rockhampton and other centres are preparing to resume work independently. ORIGINAL CLAIM

The sum of 12s 4d now accepted by the committee is the original claim lodged by the Amalgamated Engineering Union in the Industrial Court on September 1 last. The refusal of the Queensland Government to accede when the union increased its demand to 16s was the original cruse of the strike. The watersiders, whose strike has been even more damaging than that of the railwaymen, ar P still determined to make a seperate issue of the anti-picketing legislation. The chairman of the Stevedoring Industry Commission, Mr Justice Kirby, has appealed to the waterside leaders to end the strike by Tuesday. No reply has been received.