N.015
Sydney Morning Herald, 23.7.43
Rejecting a recommendation from the disputes committee of the Labour Council operative bakers decided at a meeting yesterday to continue their strike.
The Premier, Mr McKell, and the Minister for Labour, Mr Knight, yesterday condemned the strike.
Mr Knight strongly attacked "the small section" which, he said, was responsible for the strike. It is understood that he referred to the Lang group in the Labour [sic] movement.
Mr McKell said that the Government had promised to hold an inquiry into the industry and give Legislative effect to the inquiry's recommendations if the men accepted the new award.
"Awards, whether they please or displease particular parties, must be accepted," he said.
Members of the disputes committee recommended to the men that they should return to work under the new award and allow the State Government to proceed with its plans for an inquiry into the whole industry with a view to the introduction of a day baking Act. This advice was rejected.
Members of the committee included the president of the Labour Council, Mr J Maloney, MLC, and the secretary, Mr R King, MLC.
By an overwhelming majority the men decided that they would not resume work except under the interim award made after the men struck earlier this year. It provided that the men should start work at 4 am on Fridays. The final award provides for a midnight start on Fridays.
The strikers' leaders are attempting to extend the dispute to the bread carters and to the transport workers who cart flour to bakeries. It is likely, however, that the bread carters will refuse to support the strikers. It was pointed out yesterday that already the carters are handling bread produced by volunteer labour. Both unions will decide their attitude at meetings on Monday night.
The secretary of the Master Bakers' Association, Mr H W Relf, said yesterday that he was sorry that the men had decided to continue with their militant attitude despite the wise advise given by leaders of the trade union movement.
"Such a decisions helps to create hardship for the public and eventually for their own rank and file," said Mr Relf. "The master bakers are confident that they can maintain the present service, improve it as time goes on, and ultimately bring this fight to a successful issue. The community generally will disapprove the strong-arm tactics of the strikers."
Mr Knight said that the dispute was a political strike engineered to defeat the Federal Labour [sic] Government.
"The people engineering it know that the bread strike affects every household," he said. "The forces engineering it are the same forces that brought about the defeat of the Scullin Government and destroyed the last two State Labour [sic] Governments.
"Their actions constitute a form of anarchy which, if allowed to continue, must destroy the future hopes of all workers. This is a state of affairs no Government can permit to continue.
"I have been most patient in this dispute. I have met the men in every way and I offered them a complete investigation into their claims but without avail."
Mr McKell made his statement in the Legislative Assembly in reply to the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Mair, who asked what action the Government had and would take to ensure a supply of bread.
Representatives of the men were told that the promised inquiry would have covered every aspect of the industry, including zoning, prices, and the health of the men, he said.
The Government had done everything possible to settle the dispute.
"The Government," he said, "stands for the system of industrial arbitration and that means that awards, whether they please or displease particular parties, must be accepted.
"In this case the award was made after a very long hearing, at which both employers and employees were represented, and now the award has been made the Government feels that both parties are bound to accept the determination of the tribunal.
"As far as the Government is concerned we shall do everything in our power to settle the trouble. We are most regretful of all the inconvenience that has been caused to the public, and particularly to housewives."
Mr Mair said later: "It will be interesting to watch what action the Government takes if the lawless attitude of the operative bakers continues."