STRIKES A FAILURE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3406, 10 February 1920, Page 6

STRIKES A FAILURE.

CONDEMNED BY UNION LEADER‘

Mr Bodkin, secretary to the Railway Workers’ Industry Branch of the Australian Workers’ Union, speaking in Sydney recently, forcibly (‘:6-'n(‘;<':l:llJed direct action. He said: —V “I have been deeply interested in the progress of arbitration, and while I can find many faults with it, it appears to me, on reviewing direct action niethotis, that arbitration is ‘by far the better method. To quote Broken Hill :1 section of the people there mostly dcpend on direct action in order to gain their

ends. Nine years ago the miners' in that centre were better off by fully 10 per cent, than were the navvies in the Sydney district. Since then the Broken Hill miners have resorted to direct action, and by that method they have lost many months’ work. The railway workers during that period have lost no time, and have depended solely on arbitration. They have gradually improved their conditions J until at the present time they have passed the Broken Hill men by increases of fully 20 per cent, in wages. This in itself is sufficient ground for me to be satisfied with the advice I j gave my members a few years ago m > urging them to stick to arbitration. Then, take the seamen in their •.'ecent dispute. After having been out on strike for several months they resumed on their ogiginal demands —35/ per month increase. The loss in wages to these men ran into many thousands of pounds’. The whole of that period the Australian Workers’ Union was interesting itself in the Board of Trade, and we got increases of 34/ a fortnight as against the 35/ |l a month obtained by the seamen.” j