The Other Angle

"At the moment the unionist is well paid. That is the result of many years of militant struggle. Students receive this pay. They feel that a ten-minute smoko is quite normal without realising that it was only recently won.

"Students must surely realise that an employer is not Santa Claus, that he grants concessions to his employees only in the face of a determined, well-led and militant organisation such as a trade union. In the woolstore, for example, the 1933-4 wages were one and sixpence halfpenny per hour. They are now two and sevenpence, with an additional cost of living allowance. Those wages have been fought for and must be cherished, not only by the men who achieved them, but also by all who benefit from them.

"The employer attempts to split the unity of his employees by playing off the seagull against the unionist, the student against the worker. At a time like this, when the prosecution of the war depends largely upon the virility of the labour movement, no such split must be allowed. The unions must be strengthened by the active support and co-operation of all associated with them."