ALLEGATION OF SECRET PACT DECLARED UNTRUE

Chronicle (Levin), 17 January 1947, Page 8

ALLEGATION OF SECRET PACT DECLARED UNTRUE

A Press AsSociation

By TelegrcipTL-

H WELLINGTON, Jan. 16. "In the first place tlie Federation wishes to point out that it has not at any stage attackecl the watei'siders or their elainis," says a statement issued today by the Federation of Labour replying to attacks made upon it by the waterside workers' executive.. "On the eontrary, it has been sympathetie in its attitude to llieir elainis and has offered to take over the dispute so as io present Ihe elainis 1o the hest advantage in an effort to I'each an ainieable soltlenient by negotia'tion. "To aehieve the hest results in the interests of the waterside workers and in the interesls of Ihe whole connnunity, Ihe Federalion holds it is necessary and desirahle for the waterside workers first to reeoninienee nornial working. The action of the Federation has been grossly nusrepresented hy stateinents made in the reecrit pamphlot issued by the national executive of the Kew Zealand Waterside Workers' Union. That, pamphlct stfttos, for example, wlien discussing talks with Ihe Federation as follows:—

11 'Tlie following briefly sets oiit fclie principies of compromise: The national secretary of the Waterside Workers' Union to order nnion memhers to resume overtime and Saturday morning work forthwith. The watersiders' national executive and the Federation of .Labour executive would agree on a reasonable basis of settlement of the matters in dispute and having done so would sign a conhdential dociunent to be j the property of each party to the eft'ect that if satisfaction of the claims of the watersiders was not t achieved by January lf (at which j date the national council of the I union was meeting) the national executive of the Federation of Labour would reconiniend its aifiliations to support the action recommended by the watersiders' council to bring about the desired results.' I "That .statoinent Is unirue. The federation said that it would examine the elainis of the watersiders and let tliem have a written reply. This replv was sent on the following Jay, Decem ber '2 k It was ulti'mately pulilishthl in ihe press on Deeeniber 30. The slate nient by the federation said elearly: * It would appear that your executive is asking Ihe Federation of Labour to g'ive a gnarantee beforehanil as to whai will be the decision of the Waterfrout Imlustry ( 'omniission on your cJaiins, and that in eonsideration of reeeiving sueh gnarantee your executive will reconuueiid yoiu' lneiubers to resume uoriual working. Xeither the Federation of Labour nor auy other industrial orgauisalion ean give sueh a guaran- ! ee. ' "The statement of the watersiders' rase also eontains an allegation tluit secret meetings wero held. This is untrne also. To clear this point completely it is necessary to reiterate Ihe statement made in the letter which was sent to the secretary of the Waterside Workers' Union 011 January li which stated: 'A meeting of the national executive of the Xew Zealand Federation of Labour was held on January (j at the Trades Hall, Wellington. The meeting was called at tlie requesl of the Amalgainated Society of knilwav Servants, Locomotive Lngine Drivers, Firemen and Cleanors Union, K'ailuay Tradesmen's Association, New Zealand Workers l«iion, United Mineworkers Union, N.Z. Federated Seameii's Union, N.Z. Uooks and Stewards Union, allilial ions of Ihe Federation of Labour direetly and indireelly, eoncerneil willi the |iresent dispute on Ihe waterfrout and whose memberships are direetly alVected by the inipact oi' the dispute. " 'The following resolution was cnrried uiianimoiisly: ' ' ' That this meeting of affiliated unions who are direetly and indirectly implicated in the present dispute on the waterfrout recommends to the New Zealand Waterside Workers' Union that they resume normal work and hand the dispute over immediately to the N.Z. Federation of Labour with a view to bringing ahout a satisfactory settlement. ? v . " 'All Ihe roprosontalivos present at the meeting rel'erred to above wero hrrpressed with the seriousness of Ihe dispute and its possible wide impliea tions, and expressed the ojiinion tlrat vour executive should forthwith in the interests of the whole industrial movement hand over the dispute to the Federation of Labour.' " No reasonable person eould interpret that or any other similar action as 'secret meetings'. The national executive of the Waterside Workers' Union luis attacked the sound policy suggested to tliem with a tirade of abuse and tlie absurd and ineredible allegation that the Federation of Labour has lined up with the emplovers. Just as fantastic is their self deception 111 suggesting that only they' by their methods are struggling for the betterment of the workers' wages and conditions eontrary to the policy of the Labour (tovemment and the Federation >t" Labour. "The truth'is that never before in the history of the Dominion have working conditions been improved so gTontly as thev have been under the Lal our (tovernment and the Federation of Labour. The.se aehievements for the workers have been brought about by aniii-nble and constitutional methods. These niethods have been proveil to' be the most successful and the continue-1 use of Iheni is. the dcclared policy of the Federation of Labour. " Unfortunalely these methods which have proved'so successful are rejected ii_v eertain watersiders' leaders. The rank and lile of the watersiders realise Ihe truth of tlie fuet that the workers of the Dominion have made splendid progress in their status, conditions and Wages under the Labour Government th rough the representations and cooperation of tlie Federation of Labour. "To abu^e and fight the organised Labour movement, is not the way to "ontinue to progress. This is the fiist linie in the history of the Federation of Labour that an affiliated body has i'efused to acefept the assistance of "the national executive of the Federation of Labour to settle a dispute. "In the light of the successful

record of the Federation in handling disptites on behalf bf its atfillations and of the impossible position into which cGrtain leaders of the waterside workers have manoeuvred their organisa'tion, it is obvious that the hest cottrse now would be to advise their members to resume normal hours of work and accept 'the Federation of Labour 's oifer of assistance in negotiating a settlement of their -claims. "To sum up, the trade union move nient of this country has to decide whether tlie unanimous decisions ar rived. at at the aunnal eonference of the Federation of Labour, to which Ihe waterside workers' • delegates subscribed, .are to be abided by. or whether there is to be indutsrial unarchy. "The last annual eonf'eronee of the federation a'sked tlie Governinent to give the workers direct representation in the running of industry. Tlie •vatersiders wero piaeed immcdiately 111 :i favoured position by the setting up of a commission at the union 's own request on which einployers aml workers have had equal represontatiou with an iiulependent chainiian (llr Justice (,)ngley). The watersiders gave 'heir pledge to tlie Government tlia! Iliey were prepared to accept their I'esponsibility in this arrangement and io nbide by the decisions. In place of that pledge they aded with ' grave irresponsibility. "The Federation of Labour since it^ tnception has consistently fought to seeure for workers their full ^iare oi Ihe products created by. Ihe labour, and it is its intention to eontimie timi policy. That is its attitude to th" present dispute and the full facts of Ihe discussions to date will be placed be fore tlie eonference of the trade unioi' movement to be held next Tuesdav. "