Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

BOOT TRADE STRIKE.
EMPLOYERS' ATITUDE.
Statement by Mr Carter.
Commenting yesterday on the boot I
trade strike the secretary of the Em- i
ployers' Federation (Mr L. L. Car-'
'ter) said: "Using more than a
column of newsprint the secretary
of the Boot Trades' Union maltreats
the facts and ends with the asser-,
;tion that he does not intend to con
duct a Press controversy with me.
"Mr Stickland's assertions not
:withstanding, here are the facts: His
union wants increases in wages, and
has lodged claims in both Federall
and State courts for the purpose of
!securing them. The Federal arbi
Strator heard Mr Stickland and the:
Federal secretary of his organisation
in evidence and argument and re
:fused the claims as lately as Jan
uary 30. The claims submitted to'
the State court in March. 1943. have'
not yet been heard simply because
the union refuses to ask the court
to proceed with the hearing. The
employers have offered Mr Stickland
every possible help to secure an early
hearing
"The employers are prevented by
National Security Regulations from
granting the increases demanded, in,
fact these may only be granted by
,the courts under conditions laid'
down by an amendment of the Nat
tional Security (Economic Organisa
tion) Regulations on February 2.
This situation is not of the em-,
ployers' making, but it is the delib
erate act of the Federal Labour;
Government taken to implement the
Prime Minister's National Charter of
February, 1942. It is the law of thel
Iland and applies to employer and1
employee alike. Despite all this Mr
I Stickland persists in misleading his
!members into the belief that they
1can achieve by force what hundreds
Iof thousands of other workers in
Australia have failed to gain, and in
Idoing so he accuses the employers
Sof a non-co-operative attitude, and
thereby secures a vote of confidence
with musical honours from a mass
meeting of idle workers.
Wage Comparisons.
"Mr Stickland's comparisons of
rates are incorrect and misleading.
The minimum rate is not £6/6/6 in
the Eastern States, but is £5/11/6
1for males. Females are not paid a
;minimum of £3/13/3 but receive
rates varying from £3/7/3 to £3/13/3.
The Federal rates quoted include
holiday allowances, and when he re
fers to State rates he leaves the
holiday allowances out. Male workers
iu the East are paid margins rang
ling from 9/ to 18/ per week, the
average being about 13/6 per week.
In this State all male workers are
on a margin of 16/ per week. The
Federal figure quoted by him in
Icludes a loading of 4/ per week for
lost time. Workers in this State do
not lose any time except when they
indulge in the doubtful luxury of a
strike:
"But the proper place to argue
these matters is in the Arbitration
Court, the doors of which in this
State are already open to Mr Stick
land's union, and in such place I
will be prepared to deal with the
difference in purchasing power
which tips the scales further in our
favour in comparison with Eastern
cities I mention the above salient
features to show how misleading Mr
Stickland has been in his use of
Scomparative figures.
"At a meeting of the employers
I held today the following resolution
l was carried: 'That the factories
owned by the companies represented
at this meeting are open for their
employees to return to work under
the conditions laid down by the
Commonwealth and State laws and
the National Security Regulations.'
The following firms were repre
sented: J. A. Weaver. Ltd; Comfort
Wear Slipper Co; Goode. Durrant
, and Murray, Ltd; Perth Foot-Wear
Co, Ltd; WA Boot Manufacturing Co,
Ltd; and Pearse Bros, Ltd. The
meeting authorised that this resolu
tion be forwarded to the Common
wealth Minister for Labour (Mr Hol
loway), the Premier (Mr Wilcock),
the secretary, WA branch, Austra
lian Labour Party, the Deputy Direc
tor-General of Manpower, and the
secretarg of the WA branch of the
Australiu n Boot Trade Employees'
Federation."
$