ONE MAN SAID TO BE CAUSING THE TROUBLE

Chronicle (Levin), 7 April 1948, Page 6

ONE MAN SAID TO BE CAUSING THE TROUBLE

At the roquest of senior engineers at Mangakino, the Professionai E ti • gineers' Associal ion issued a stule* ment today dealing with the dispute. The association recalled tliat Ihe union was prei>ared lo order the men back to work pendmg the tinding of a tribunal but. with the proviso that the secretary, Mr. L. (Ttx>lnuu, was also rtv employed. It said this proviso could have uufortunate results in that it might delay a setflemeut oi tho dis putc. "The dispute is between the New Zealaud Workers' Union and tlie Governiuenl over the, right of the Jatter. ou the recommeiidal ion of a sonioi eu gineer, lo transfer oue of its owu'em ployees, " says the stalement. "At the end of November eight. oi the senior engineers individually noti/tied the engineer-ia-chief in writing that unless authority was given for Mr. Clapham to be removed from the job, they would smik employment elsewhere. Mr. Clapham' s employment at Mangakino was objccted to 0x1 the grounds of his known propensity to cause trouble. Foilowing ixniilsterial approval, tne Commissioner of Works himsclf went to Mangakino and directed the transfer of Mr. Clapham to Auckland. Every possible factor in the situation and its impiications had been rnost seriously considered before we notified the engineer-in-chief of our intention. Nothing can alter the fact which led to our decision. The difficulty is that we cannot carry on under a condition of organised disruption fostered by Mr. Clapham. "Hue to muddled reasuniag or vvilful inteut, the issue bel'ore the men at Mangakino is being misrepresenled by the union as an is.suo betvveeu Ihe union and engineers over a union priucixde. We say omphatically uo work of this mugnitude can funetion satisfactorily unless the workmen elect tlieir own rexiresentatives to negotiate with the management. But we say with equal emphasis that industriai morale and eniciency caunot- be aohieved 011 the work unless all emxdoyees, staif and workmen alike, have a coimiion interest in the steady • progress of the work and ax>proacli all disxiutes with a sx>irlt of cooperation. ' ' Since the advent of Mr. Clapham to the joh, long establishecl constitutionai methods pf procedure have been swept aside and replaced by shock tactics. There is no .doubt whatever that Mr. Clapham is th§7 organising genuis. Engineers trained in management of construction projects and in daily touch with men, cannot fail to learn both directly and indirectly how these things are inspired. "We think it desirable tliat the publie should know that Mr. Clapham is still dominating loeal union affairs. There is a barrage of propagan.da, all

being disseminated anfl directed by Mr. Claxxham. "In view of the announeement that Mr. Clapham is contesting the national XJresidency of the union, this Dominionwide publieity of a false contention that a union principle is involved, while misleading many of tho rank and file and prolohging the hardship oecasioned by the strike, is obviously excellent propaganda. ' '