WHARF CRISIS NEAR IN AUSTRALIA

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5319, 4 February 1947, Page 5

WHARF CRISIS NEAR IN AUSTRALIA

(Press Assn-

HOLI'DAY PAY DE'MAND \ ean on overtime may operate from to-day

-Rec. 9.30 p.m.)

SYDNEY, Feb. 3. A ccmference this afternoon between shipowners and memliers of the Waterside Workers' F'ederation will discuss the demands of watersiders for three weeks' annual leave at £8 /16/- :• week. Unless the conferenee tigrees to the demand a general overtime ban will begin on all Australian wharves to-morrow. The Sydney dockyard dispute, which began in November, may be settled at conferences this week, aecording to the assistant secretary of the Trades and Lahour Couneil, Mr. J. Kenny. The dispute involves a complete stoppage for 63 firms and affects about 8000 men. The terms otfered by waterfront employers for presentation to-day to a mass meting of men involved in the dispute may lead to the reopening of shipyards and fo-undries, Mr. Kenny said. The disputes committee of the Trades and Labour Couneil will meet to-morrow to review decisions of the mass meeting and employers will then be advised. During1 the week-end a general stoppage on northern coalfields as a pu'otest over dearer mea-t was averted, although the miners are still uneasy about the latest Government priees. Western coalminers are threatening to strike if the dispute about open Lut wages is not settled to-day. Postal Workers Are Against Taking Direct Action AfELBOURNE, February 3. Postal workers have rejected their union exeeutive's reeommendations that they take direct action to gain improved wages and working standards. They decided to withhold action until the court adjusted the basic wage and dealt with the union's applieation for higher marginal rates and wage loadings. About 4'00 members of tht> union aitended the meeting. Recently the exeeutive of the Victoria branch re.ommended the Federal executive of the union that stopwork meetings be held in all States, and that go-slow cactics should be employed to enforce the demand for a basic wage of £6 8s.