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Saturday 14 December 1946
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1 correction by kenhiggs - Show corrections
BUILDERS BACK GAS STRIKERS
The settlement of the gas strike may be delayed by a decision by about 200 building workers em- ployed by the gas companies in Sydney not to return to work until they have received an increase of £1 in wages, a shorter working week, and an assurance of no loss of continuity of service on resump-
tion of work.
The building workers, with other kindred workers employed by gas companies, ceased work in sym- pathy with the striking gas employees.
Many of them are key - men. They include the bricklayers who do maintenance and repair work on the retorts.
The strikers continued their sit in strike at the Mortlake works yesterday, but there were no un- toward incidents.
At the North Shore gas works only the pickets remained on the job.
A collier could not be unloaded at the Manly gas works yesterday because the strikers made repre- sentations to the seamen, who sub- sequently refused to work with
volunteers.
It was stated last night that the Seamen's Union had promised full support to the striking gas em- ployees, and that it would refuse to
deliver any coal which might be handled by the volunteers.
Conference Fails
A conference between the Na- tional Gas Association and the A.C.T.U. broke down in Mel- bourne yesterday.
Twenty employers' representa- tives from New South Wales, Vic- toria, South Australia, and Tas- mania attended.
Some ill-feeling was shown at the conference. Employers re- newed their offer to grant a wage increase of 1/ a day for shift workers, but they withdrew a pro- vision for retrospective payment to
October.
Employers also offered to pay time and a half for work on Satur- days and said they would not oppose an application to the Arbi-
tration Court for variation of the gas award on the lines of their
offer.
The offers were rejected by the A.C.T.U. representatives.
At the conference, the secretary of the A.C.T.U., Mr. Monk, warned the employers' representa- tives to, be prepared for "a real box-on" if they did not yield to the union demands.
A conference of all State branches of the Gas Employees' Union will be held in Melbourne on Monday under the jurisdiction
of the A.C.T.U.