4. 0 PRIME MINISTER
MACQUARIE NETWORK WEEKLY BROADCAST
BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE RT HON.
WILLIAM McMAHON, CH, MP. 26 APRIL 1972
INDUSTRIAL LAWLESSNESS
This evening I want to talk to you . about industrial lawlessness
and stikes. Before I do-this I want to sketch in the background against which
the problem has to be considered. I assure you that our economy i-s
basically sound and that no other country has prospects quite as good.
For over twenty years our production and living standards have grown.
And today is only the. foundation of what we can do in the next twenrty
years. Let me return to the problem of industrial unrest and lawlessness
and its cost to the community in lost production and the uncertainties
it creates. I will also explain what my Government is doing about it.
For m-st of those twenty years Australia has had relative industrial
peace. The significant exception to this rule has been the last three
years. Until then, the conciliation and arbitration system worked well,
and it brought a wide range of benefits to wage and salary earners,
particularly those less able to look after themselves. But in the last
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During 1971 the number of working days lost in strikes. increased
by 28% compared with 1970. In money terms, the loss -of wages last
year was $ 45 million. Excessive wage increases and industrial trouble
undoubtedly push up prices and are the root cause of inflation. Theserising
prices affect everyone. They seriously worry you. This worry
is understandable because most people naturally expect continual
improvement in their standard of living. But they will not get it
through the destruction of the arbitration system or the failure of
some big unions to accept awards. This new industrial lawlessness
S coincidedvith the capture of the A. C. T. U. by a leftist coalition. As
Ssoon as they-secured the election. of Mr Hawke, the principles of
industrial unionism followed by Mr Albert Monk-were undermined. In
its-_ pJLace. we see more -political strikes and an attack on the
. disciplinary provisions of the Arbitration Act. / 2
2.
At the same time there are moves towards collective bargaining
and more power to the big radical unions. No-one has yet invented
an effective means of enforcing collective bargaining. Overseas, it
has produced big and prolonged strikes. But let me explain what we
are doing to help solvo these problems. Some months ago my Government
ordared a thoroughgoing review of the arbitration system. We recognised
the need to modernise and strengthen a system which has served this
country so well for so long. We do not deny the right to strike.
We do think that under our arbitration system there should be very
few occasions when a strike can be justified. When disputes are
legitimately settled by arbitration, the award must be obeyed.
Discipline is essential to an effective arbitration system.
That is why we will strengthen the disciplinary powers of the
Arbitration Commission in the new legislation we introduced in the
Parliament only this afternoon. That is why we will have secret
S ballots. We have already strengthened the power of arbitrators in
Wthe Public Service.
You will remember the problems we had with postal workers and
their failure to satisfactorily maintain telephone services over
S the Christmas/ New Year period. Initially the union involved refused
Sto take its claim to arbitration and took Dart in a course of action
which disrupted telephonc services to an intolerable extent. So we
introduced a hill to give the Public Service arb trator power to
introduce into awards the principle cf " no work no pay". Until then
we had no real power to ensure that Governnent employees satisfactorily
carried out their jobs of providing you with services. We now
have the power and can use it.
To sum up. We reject industrial violence. We reject political
unionism. We stand for conciliation and arbitration as the foundation
of sound industrial relations. That's why we want conciliation and
arbitration to be successful. That's why we have acted. That's why
we have taken the major decisions I've mentioned; decisions made to
ensure that you are provided with the services you need and richly
deserve.