HAS POLITICAL DANGERS

Chronicle (Levin), 7 August 1947, Page 5

HAS POLITICAL DANGERS

■Press Association

SECRET BALLOT ISSUE CAME AS SURPRISE

Bv Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, August b. Although reports have been circulafed that the national couneil of the Xew Zealand .Eederation of Labour last night expressed opposition to the Government proposal to amend the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Aet by requiring secret ballots before strikes or lockouts, it is insisted officially the the federation 's attitude has ( vet to be delined. The federation continued its diseussion of the question today, and there is no attempt to conceal the fact that weightv political and industrial considerations are involved. Because of this, it is felt necessary for th^ organisation to make a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the subject, and the federation does not intend to reach any hasty decision. Reports that finality was reached by last evening were authoritatively described today as "mere assumption. ' ' When the federation reaches a decision. after further discussion, it is expectecl that an oflieial statement will be re leased. Much ground was covered in ,the preliminary discussions, which began .yesterday, and tbe opinions have been described as refreshing and forthright. Rredictions that considerable objec Sions would be made to the Government's proposed measure were fulfilled, but there was also a desire to learn from the Government what it has in mind and particularly the reasons for mtroducing the proposal virtually with-4 out warning. Contentious Issues. One contentious aspect is the feeling that the Government would have been wise to have announced its intentiom, well in advance, so that the iiulustria. Labour movemeiit could by now have debated the subject. i'ully. The element of surprise has certainly caused resent ment, and it could account for opposition from trade union officials who otherwise might have supported secret ballots as a meritorious and prudent practice. Those who complain that the Government should have taken the indus..Lrial Labour mqvement more fully into cbniidehee have an argu,ment from precedent. It is recalled that remits canu before the annual confer'ence of the Eederation of Labour in Juiie, proposing that the federation, should demand the submission by the Government oi all new industrial legislatiou in draft fonn, for endorsement or rejection b\ the federation. No recommendation regarding the remits was made to thc conference, on tlre, ground that the practice was already being observed. This circumstanee has made the lack of candour about secret ballots the more mystifying to those who have been obliged, in the past wepk, to pre pare opinions on a measure which would profoundly affect union administ ration. The situation is fraught 'with political danger. Should the federation, or any considerable part of it, feel ii necessary to oppose the Government measure, the Government would be in an einbarrassing position and the cleavage between militants and moderates in the industrial Lahour movement would be likely to increase. The op'eration of secret ballots, a policy to which the Government has cvidently committed itself, would certainly require the good will of thc greater part of the industrial Laboui movement, which would need to be convinced that very . sound reasons existed to justify intervention in union eontrol. There are some hopes that a compromise may be efl'ected, with consequent "face-saving" by pojitieal Labour and industrial Labour, both of which are keenly aware of the slender Government majority and the widespread pub: lic feeling that the Government has too long delayed decisive action against disruptive elements in trad'es unionism. The situation is generally acknowledged to be highly important, and some have called it a critical test for the Government. ."Lightning Move" Opposition to the Government proposal that secret ballots should be held by trade unions before strikes and lockouts occur is coming from Communist sources. A Communist paper states that Thc Minister of Labour (Mr. .McLagan), "until recent president ®f the Federa tion of Labour, ' ' has made 1 ' a blitzkrieg attack on trade union freedom' and has "put NewZealand on the road to the American -slave law and to the suppression of workers ' rights. " The paper alleges that an under talcing to coflsult the Federation oi imbour before brihging any laboui legislation before Parliament has not been observed, and adds: ". . . the provision of compulsory ballots on al> occasions and the imposit'ion of severn penalties under andemoeratie condx tions marks a serious step towards thi semi-Fascist conditions now obtaining m the (Jnited States of America. "If the legislation now before Parliament is not suecessfully opposed, the trade union movement will be weakened and less able to eombat.new and more repressive legislation for which the present amendments are undoubted'ly only the thin edge of the Wedge. ' ' The paper says the Federation of Labour was not eonsulted about the Government move. It refers to "light ning legislation," and says it has comt as a sliock.