French Unions Reject Government’s Proposals For Wage Increases

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26639, 9 December 1947, Page 5

French Unions Reject Government’s Proposals For Wage Increases

New Zealand Press Association—Reuter—Copyright. Rec. 9 p.m. PARIS, Dec. 8. - Hope of an early settlement of France’s industrial troubles faded when the Confederation of Labour refused to accept the Government’s wage proposals made in talks last night. In spite of the Confederation’s refusal to accept the proposals, the Minister of Labour, M. Daniel Mayer, after the Government’s offer had been made, said: “ If. the Confederation does not give the order to resume work soon, an order will not be needed as everyone will be back.” The Minister added that telegrams had been flowing in all day yesterday from all parts of France announcing the workers’ decision to return. The Government’s offer to the Confederation was: First, a general wage increase of between 15 and 20 per cent, as against 25 per cent, which the strikers demanded; secondly, a cost- of living allowance of £3 monthly; thirdly, special indemnity to cover strikers’ lost wages but not the full wage scale.

M. Pierre Lebrun, secretary of the French Confederation of Labour, stated stated after talks with the Ministers that guarantees establishing purchasing power had'not yet been obtained, and his duty to the strikers was to appeal to them to continue and reinforce their action until they succeeded. A message from London says the Paris correspondent of the Daily Telegraph said the negotiations between the confederation and Government broke down over the minimum wage rates and periodic wage adjustments in relation to the cost of living. Reuter’s Paris correspondent reported that it is expected that the metropolitan . underground railway, which carries 4,000,000 fares daily, will by to-day be in partial operation because a proportion of the drivers yesterday voted against the strike. The Minister for Industry, M. Robert Lacuste, in a broadcast, said the electricity strike had been a relative failure, 83 per cent, of the usual capacity being produced. The Paris correspondent of the British United Press says the Communist attempt to bring down the Schuman Government has failed. The correspondent adds that one of the results of this failure will probably be the postponemei*: for some time of General de Gaulle’s / return to power.

The French Civil Servants’ Union has issued a strike call for to-day, but many are likely to refuse the call because of the back-to-work movement throughout the country. The Communist press urged strikers, now about 1,000.000, compared with 2,000,000 a few days ago, to hold out "just a little longer.” The Government maintains strong police and military forces at key points to protect non-striking workers from motorised squads of militant strikers and to enforce the anti-sabotage laws. The Ministry .of the Interior announced that nearly 1000 persons were arrested in France during the past, eight days as security police acted against sabotage. Saboteurs struck again when they caused the derailment of the engine and two coaches of the Lyons-Paris express- by unbolting a rail at the entrance to a tunnel near Vaise, siic miles from Lyons. No one was injured but there Was slight damage. The train at this point would normally be travelling at 40 miles an hour, but the driver had cut the speed to 10 miles an hour. , The Paris underground operators and bus drivers who are members of the Confederation of Labour, voted to begin a 48-hour strike to-day as a demonstration for higher wages.