LABOR UNREST.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 January 1919, Page 5

LABOR UNREST.

STRIKES FOR 40 HOUR WiDESEREAD LABOR REVOLT, Received January 26, &J& p.m.

London, Jan. & Forty thousand of Harland k Wolfe's shipyard engineers at Belfat will strike oa Saturday unless a forty-hour-wock is conceded. Two largo yards have already granted the forty-four-hour week.

A national conference of the Ministry of Labor end employers and men !a the engineering and shipbuilding trade* opened to day. The decisions affect three million men. The cutjook is bright, as an early agreement is possible. The Glasgow municipal workers, including the tramway, gas, wafer and electricity employers* threaten to strik* for a forty hours week"

The Daily Telegraph's labor coirtx* pondent calls attention to the widespread labor revolt in England being like a fever in the blood. Possißly the Bolshevism and syndicalism now rampant over tlia whole world are Sue to a revulsion of feeling against the stera discipline in armios. Some of the Eng. lish industrial trftubles are traceable to the mishandling of wages questions during the war, and the attempt to read-, just the reckless wartime prodigality of munition workers' wages, coupled with widespread uncertainty rewarding unemployment owing: to demobilisation, wc!eH provides a receptive soil for Bolshevik seeds.

The unrest has iis origin in the railunderstanding of the economic pogiticn, namely, the failure to appreciate the country's war obligations .These can only be met by increased prodortion*-* Aus.-N Z. Cable Assn. i

37-HOUR WEEK ACCEPTED. A HITCH OVER RESUMING WOH&. Received January 2C, 5.46 p,a. London, Jan. 23. The P.-ess Bureau states that tk. Minister for Labor met the members of the executive and the district officials of the boilermakers, shipwrights and blacksmiths, who agreed to a fourty-sevea hours week, and promised to advise the resumption of work if there is no reduction in wngss of the piece-workers, as already conceded to the time workers.

The Minister replied that the employ* era wen willing to meet for the purpose of negotiating with the committee for the Union; and to discuss all questions on January 2tTif work was resumed cn January 27. The Minister also referred to the resolution, signed by the secretaries of the unions concerned, advising resumption as a condition precefont to tne lr.oeting with the employers. The representatives present declined to advice the resumption of work, upon which the proceedings were adjourned— Aiia.-N Z. Cable A«sn.

Received January '2fi, 5.5 p.m. _ „ London, Jan. 23. The Yorkshire coal strike has already caused a number of woollen mill* to close, and if (!ie strike continued for a few dilvft it would have thrown '•hnitsfinds into unemployment. The Coal Onnf roller conceded twenty minutes meal stoppage each shift.—Aus-N^. Assn.