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"Stay In" Strikes
Mark Gas Union's
Four State Fight
Gasworkers in Sydney, Melbourne, Ballarat. Bendigo, Adelaide
and Hobart are on strike in the greatest dispute of its type in Australian
history.
IN Sydney, to checkmate staff
workers, gas unionists have
made the strike a stay-in one.
The men are staying in at Mortlake,
North Sydney and Manly gasworks,
at the Woolloomooloo transport depot
of the Australian Gas Light Company
and at the company's store section
at Camperdown.
Remaining members of the Gas
Employees' Union, men in the street
division, are taking part in the strike
by normal methods.
These men will meet today (Friday)
at the Trades Hall.
Referred To ACTU
The nationwide gas tie-up was ordered
by the Federal Council of the
Gas Employees' Union. Because of
its interstate character the dispute
has been referred to the Emergency
Committee of the ACTU.
Among the strikers are Hobart gas
employees, who had already won substantial
concessions on shift workers'
claims, but came out again on Federal
Council orders.
Refusal to negotiate by Adelaide
employers had caused a stay-in strike
to begin a week ago.
The gas employees' strike was precipitated
by the stubborn refusal of
the directors of the Metropolitan Gas
Company in Melbourne to negotiate
on gas workers' claims for increased
wages, penalty rates and shift allowances.
The Melbourne gas workers decided
to strike on Wednesday and the Sydney
strike began at 6 am on Thursday.
Members of the BWIU and the
AEU have also taken strike action in
sympathy with the gas workers.
Strikers 1 Demands
Demands of the striking gas workers
are:—
• Minimum industry wage rate of
£6/18/-.
• Shift allowance of 2/- a shift
(present allowance 1/-).
• Time and a quarter rates for all
night shifts.
• Time and a half for Saturday
work.
• Double time for Sunday work.
• Extra week's annual leave for
shift workers who have been employed
for ten years or more.
The Australian Gas Light Company
is well able to concede the reason-
able demands of its employees. On
the basis of capital and assets, AGL
able is one demands of the of largest its employees. undertakings On in
the Commonwealth. Last year's profits
of £338,872 were the best for 15
years.
After paying shareholders a fixed
dividend of 6 per cent, AGL was able
to carry forward a surplus of £47,272
to reserves bringing this item to
£601,794.
Investors seem very confident that
the gas monopoly's profit taking will
continue in the future. AGL's shares
are not pegged on the Stock Exchange
because the dividend rate is fixed by
legislation at 6 per cent. In recent
months there has been considerable
activity in the company's shares. The
market price of £6 shares increased
from £7/5/- in January to £7/18/-
in ApriL They are now quoted at
£7/13/.
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