Militants Will Lose Voice In New Plan

Chronicle (Levin), 20 February 1948, Page 5

Militants Will Lose Voice In New Plan

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WELLINGTON, Peb. 19. [ When the New Zeaiand Federation oi Labour holds. its annual conference ih April, at Dunedin, it will face what some unionists regard as the most severe test in its history over an issue of considerable political and. industriai importance. On the surf aee, the issue, which is ths proposed eonstitutional revision to re« cast representation on the national council of the organisation, on the basis. oi industry ratlier than the present system of district representation througk trades eouncils, seems to ^e harmiess. but one of the most prominent union ojficials in New Zeaiand, and a man experienced in federation affairs, has dc scribed the scheme as "actual dyna mite." Trade unions are still examining the details of the plan. and their opinion.-* are be-ginning to emerge. Between now and the time of the conference, thei\ should be clear evid'enee to show svhether the plan has good prospects oi authorisation, but even at this early :.stage there are reports of wonsiderable liostility to the project. The iirst sign was the unanimous decision by the New Zeaiand Federatect Woollen Mills and Hosierv Factories Kmptoyees' Industriai Associations rfe;jeeting the proposed revision of the federation constitution. It is now announeed that the shipwork carpenters r section of the Wellington Waterside Workers ' Union, at a stopworlc meeting, unanimously requested the union dele gates to ihe federation conference tp reject the proposed new eonstitution. Council Composition. Under the present system, the federation national conneil is comprised of the national executive of the organisation and representatives of each of the 19 trades eouncils throughout New Zeaiand. The revision proposal is to replace this council with one consisting of the representatives of 20 industriai classes, or groups. Should the chahge he effected, many officials who are now prominent in the. affairs of the Federation of Labour would cease -to be eligible to represem their districts on the federation councii; and hy no means all of them would have good prospects of remaining as dele gates representing industriai groups. This circumstance has given rise to parbicular hostility to the proposal during the past few weeks,- and union officials state auite frankly that the Federation of Labour will be completely reshuffled, if the revision succeeds.

Some officials have sajd that tlie plan would have the effect of diminishing, or largely stifling, the "militant" voices on the federation national council, and they make no secret of their suspicions, which will certainly be expressed at the Dunedin conference, that this is an object of the, proposal. Critics elaim that there is a very considerable political interest in the eonstitution of the federation, and that it has become more prbfibunced' sitit'fe'fhe last conference of the whole organisation, when the " milit aht " elements scored suctesses over the moderates. "

The proposed representation through industriai groups contains interesting possibilities. Some of the "militant" tmions are comparatively small numerically, bnt they have enjoyed a considerable voice in the transaetions of the federation because their members have attained responsible positions on district trades eouncils, and have so qttalified to represent their districts on .the federation council. This state of affairs wouid he most likely eliminated to the point of inconsequence under the proposed revision.

On the other h and, some "moderater' unions have a very large membership, and not always of ard'ent unionists. In r'act, under compulsory unionism, there are organisathions with many members who may l)elong to.the political Opposition, and who have, from time to time, bitterlv objected to levies for political ends with which. they do not agrpe.- Yei,' these organisations, on a nuinerical basis, could swamp some "militant" imionn by comparative representation undoithe suggested new arl-angoment. ■ / ttSharing Deiegates. For exaraple, the revision proposes that all the marltime unions, powerful in influence and policies but comparatively small numerieally, should share a representative on the ne^v national council of the federation. The representative would belong to one of the grouped unions, aml the situation ; could arise where the interests of" his i union might run eounter to the associ ated unions also represented *by the delegate. Against this sliaring of a delegate by several unions in vital industries, the clerks, who are numerous bnt not necessarily as militant, -would have a delegate virtually of their own. Becausv of their numbers, the clerks would have Ihe same representation on the federation national council as all the mari lime unions put logether. A simitar. position is said to arise from other groupings on an industriai basis. This is one of th6 aspects of the situation which is bound to cause a bitter debate. Inquiries aniong various unionists show that they are keenly aware; of the possibilities, and there is a feeling that the conference delegates will be required to make. a momentous decision, nothing less . than the complete transformation of the structure of the industriai Labour movement. Some union' comiuentators believe that Ihe revision has no chance of suc,cess in the face of the developing opposition, but others are by no means so sanguine. .They expeet a strenuous light. There are those who consider that the adoption of the revision might split the federation, and bring about the witlulrawai into a separate organisation of unions adhering to the present system. Above all, these critic# believe that it is vital to liave direct representation from the district trades eouncils: The critics are also mindful of another proposal t-o ec'ntralise the eontrol of disputes. This is a higlily complex question, ahd the proposal indicates that the national council, if a union did not hand a dispute tp it on request, would not be: obbgecf to deal with the affair. There is a further coutentious

question, binding all unions, which are very greatly preoc'cupied with conduct .ng their own affairs, to observe the d«cisions of annual conferences.