Noumea nickel workers return
pp. 139-140 · Read in the full issue
to work—with more money
From GERALD ROUSSEAU in Noumea The eight-day strike at the Societe Le Nickel smelting works in Noumea, end of January, resulted in major concessions to the workers, in particular a SUS29O bonus for 1969.
The disturbance, which began as a rolling strike on January 16, quickly turned into a complete walkout, bringing the smel ing works to a standstill, when the SLN com pany continued refusing the last of a 14-point log of claims dating from August, 1969.
For almost a week, the inhabitants of Noumea were without nickel dust.
The billowing red smoke began pouring over the town again on January 24, however, when the SLN Director, Jean Lanchon, flew out from vacation in Paris and agreed to grant workers a flat SUS29O bonus for last year.
Terms for 1970 and subsequent years will depend on the company’s future performance in the territory.
Almost 3,000 Noumea workers were involved in the strike, but the new terms will extend to over 4,000 men, including SLN employees on inland mining centres.
The wage claims dated from last August, time of the 12i per cent, devauation of the French franc, which hit the workers’ buying power and hastened the Caledonian in flationary spiral by raising the price of imported goods around 20 per cent.
The Noumea nickel smelting works last year produced nearly 40,000
tons of nickel. Mining exports from the territory were valued at SUSI 26 million.
Immediately after the strike, a mission from five Japanese smelting companies arrived in the territory to negotiate over future supplies of nickel ore to Japan. The smelters agreed to accept lower grade ore from New Caledonia in future, but were to send a further delegation to Paris to oppose French moves to restrict the volume of ore for Japan ese buyers.
In the meantime, the territory’s second nickel company French- Canadian COFIMPAC—which had been accused in Paris of being behind schedule in setting up operations here, released a progress bulletin of Ps continuing studies in the south of the Pland.
COFIMPAC Managing Director, Mr. Henri Nicolas, was scheduled to arrive from Paris at the end of February to consult on its plans.
The complex will eventually be even larger, as it is now understood that the territory’s fourth mining group—French-American Penamax— will also be installed in the south.
Only the third company—proposed with SLN-Patino-Caledonian part icipation—is projected for the north of the island.
fknrrlioc moot oorh
vnUICIIGS Iflcul CaUl * kM Oiner in noumca The first ecumenical gathering between Roman Catholics and Protestants took place in Noumea at the end of January. Monseigneur Martin, Archbishop of Noumea and Protestant Pasteur Raisin-Dadre presided over a gathering of nearly 300 in the hall of Noumea’s “Temple Protestant’ - .
Both ea^ers explained the moves being made on each side towards achieving Christian unity. The com bined congregations then united in communal hymns and prayers. (New Caledonia has about 60-70 per cent, of its population Roman Catholic).
Meanwhile, Monseigneur Coppen rath, Archbishop-Coadjutor of Papeete, arrived for a three weeks visit to Noumea, where he was parti cularly concerned with contacting the growing number of Tahitians at work in the territory.
Churches ask for
their own P-NG
radio station
The churches of Papua-New Guinea and the Solomon Islands have launched their first con certed effort to make extensive use of modern communications methods in bringing the Word to the people.
At the newly formed Christian Communications Commission meeting in February, both Protestant and Roman Catholic churches planned projects and appointments to cost around $60,000 They also decided to approach the P-NG House of Assembly to press the Australian Government for a broadcasting franchise which would allow the setting up of religious radio stations in the territory.
The commission said it was taking this step because members felt the existing stations (ABC and Admin istration) do not adequately meet the “spiritual needs of the people.”
I believe that other bodies have tried in the past to get such a franchise but have been turned down on the grounds that the existing services DO cater for all the peoples’ needs An informal lobbying com mittee was appointed to approach MHAs, but it will be some time before there are tangible results.
Costly projects
The biggest and most costly project planned is a $30,000 expansion of the Christian Broadcasting Service at Banz in the New Guinea Highlands This is to enable the organisation to train greatly increased numbers of indigenous people in radio work.
Another $6,500 is needed to appoint a literature training officer for the Creative Training Centre at Madang; and $9,000 is the estimated initial cost of developing the Anglican public relations office into an ecumenical service.
Commission members reckoned that they would need a full-time executive officer to co-ordinate the commis sion’s constituent bodies and to give overall direction to its work. About $13,000 will be needed to set up such an officer.
So far, the churches of the South Pacific have, to their own incalcul able detriment, largely ignored the opportunities presented by the com munications media and even now are only slowly beginning to show signs of interest. —SUSAN YOUNG.