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Victoria's biggest industrial showdown since the 40s
may follow today's Legislative Council meeting. Will there
be. . .
One straying vote?
TONIGHT, one of the eight
Country Party members
of Victoria's Legislative
Council, by defying his
party's decision on the Essen-
tial Services Amendment
Bill, could precipitate the
biggest industrial showdown
in Victoria for 20 years.
On Wednesday, the State
Government introduced
amendments to the 1948
Essential Services Act doubling
the gaol term from six months
to a year for striking in an
essential service, doubling the
present fine of $500 and giv-
ing the Government much
wider powers under which a
strike may be banned.
Under the new Bill the
Governor-in-Council can pro-
claim an industry essential if:
Opportunity of employees to
be gainfully employed in
their usual occupations is
threatened by the action of
any person or body.
The health or safety of the
public or any section of the
public is threatened.
The maintenance of peace
and good order in Victoria
is threatened.
Until Wednesday morning,
Liberal Ministers and MPs
were confident that the new
proposals would have the sup-
port of the Country Party. But
a meeting of the Country
Party, after the details of the
Bill were disclosed, voted by
a narrow majority against the
Bill.
To the disgust of the
Premier and his Ministers, the
Leader of the Country Party,
Mr Moss, announced that his
party would oppose the
amendments. He said that the
Country Party could not sup-
port a Bill where the "right of
the individual is being whittled
away. Any repressive legisla-
tion that savours of this atti-
tude is opposed by the CP.
There is an an unsavoury
aroma surrounding the whole
introduction of this Bill. In my
view, the proposals contained
in the Bill will be a major step
towards establishing a police
state in Victoria".
In the Legislative Assembly,
the Government forced its
amendments through over per-
sistent Labor and Country
Party opposition. However,
since the death of Sir Ronald
Mack, the Government has
only 16 members in the
Legislative Council against
17 Labor and Country Party
votes when the Bill is intro-
duced today.
Describing Country Party
members as "political hum-
bugs", the Premier, Sir Henry
Bolte said he would press on
with his legislation because
"nobody — not even the
Country Party themselves —
knows how they will vote next
Tuesday".
Moderate union leaders and
even some of the more
cautious members of the
Premier's own party are hop-
ing the Country Party will
stand by its guns. They have
no doubt that if there is a
defection — one abstention
will enable the Government to
pass the Bill — those union
leaders who are thirsting for a
showdown with the Premier
will not have great difficulty
in bringing the State to a halt.
Even supporters of the Bill
were impressed by the grave
warning issued to the Govern-
ment by the Trades Hall
Council Secretary, Mr M. C.
Jordan, who has been under
attack for years from left-wing
unions as being too "mode-
rate".
Mr Jordan said, "Surely the
Government cannot be so
naive as to believe that the
trade union movement will
simply accept the position if
union officials are gaoled and
unionists fined. The Govern-
ment must have no misunder-
standings about what could
take place. If the Premier de-
cides to throw the gauntlet
down to unionists, the unions
must make it clear they will
accept the challenge and fight
to protect their rights". ||
From ROHAN
RIVETT, in
Melbourne
|| With unusual uhanimity —
by 90 votes to 0 — the Trades
Hall Council voted on Thurs-
day night "to take any
measures necessary" to protect
unionists against the Essential
Services Act.
RESISTANCE to any use of
the Essential Services Act
now seems likely to come
from moderate and left-wing
unions alike. SEC and Amal-
gamated Engineering Union
leaders have promised direct
action if anyone is gaoled.
This afternoon thousands of
unionists plan to march to
Parliament House to protest
against the legislation. They
will be headed by the Building
Trades Federation of Unions,
who expect that at least 5,000
building workers employed on
big city and suburban pro-
jects will march.
While Trades Hall Council
delegates were branding Sir
Henry Bolte "the Nero of
Melbourne" and "this arrogant
puppet of a farmer", meetings
of building workers on sites
passed resolutions calling for
the "gaoling of Bolte instead
of workers".
A basic cause of all the
heat is a strong belief in the
Municipal Workers Associa-
tion that the Premier has
ordered a number of State
instrumentalities not to negoti-
ate over union demands.
The SEC workers were told
by Mr Flynn, an officer of
the association, that SEC
workers had been deliberately
provoked into a position
where they had to take strike
action. The aim was to wreck
the Municipal Officers Asso-
ciation," he said.
A fortnight ago Mr R. E.
Ivory, State Secretary of the
Municipal Officers Associa-
tion, accused the Premier of
instructing the Board of
Works and the Tramways
Board to disregard claims for
increased wages. On Friday he
declared that Country Roads
Board representatives had
indicated they were powerless
to make an agreement on a
long-standing claim without
referring to "other parties".
"This means reporting to the
Premier", said Mr Ivory.
He said it would seem that
the Premier was attempting to
dictate the conditions under
which conferences arranged or
ordered by the Commonwealth
Arbitration Commission were
conducted. On behalf of the
association he then warned
that "continued provocation"
in this area, involving essential
services such as water and
sewerage, was "stupid".
Meanwhile the Country
Party leader, Mr Moss, rebuts
the Premier's jibes and says
there is no question of the
party changing its vote in the
Legislative Council today.
If he is right about party
loyalty, observers believe that
the long-heralded showdown
between the Premier and
unions may still be averted.
But the Cabinet could still in-
voke the original Essential
Services Act. So strong is
union feeling at present that
any such action might lead to
a general stoppage throughout
the State within a few days.
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