National Industrial Meeting Wanted

Chronicle (Levin), 7 August 1948, Page 5

National Industrial Meeting Wanted

WELLINGTON, August G. The Legislative Rouncil today passed n niotion 1110 ved by Hon. T. O. Bishop (Lower Hutt)' that consideration should be given by the (tovernment to the advisabilitv of calling a nationa] industrial conferenee to examine the industrial legislation of the Dominion and .-uggest ainendments or additions with the ultimate object of improving i industrial rclations. The vote was j carried on the voiees with two dissen- ( tients. "Evenifthe conferenee whic'h is j suggested should not be a complete j success in my opinion it eould do 110thing but good, " said Hon. F. G. Young j (Auckland). "It eould consider the | (iefeets of the ]>resent industrial | niachinery. " Regarding the lon-g (lelay j to> the settling of an award for hospita! 1 irorkers Mr. Young said that possibLy some of those workers who were prone to take industrial action everv time they had a little grievance would have j taken a grini view had the hospita! workers takou action with the result that fhe wives and children of those ; i.ii:litant unionists eould nots have: o'e tained hospitalisatiun. "lf workers and their wives and families were rofusctl hospitalisation they would not like it aiiy more than hospital workers like to 1 e refused fuel and gas for their iamilies, said Mr.' Young. "Each ot i us is dependent on the other. • ' 1 think that there are some organisations in this countrv that have somewliat irresponsible Jeadership," he said. ' ' There is reallyr ao 'easy inethod of (lisciplining the more niilitant work-' ers," said Mr. Young. "Tf we- utse. coercion or foree L believe that tlu workers who were, intiniidated and coerced would get such support ainong tlieir fellow trade unionists' that it iniglit lead to a general strike, and a general strike in my opinion is civil wai'.* However presuniptive the water side workers are we should be glad thev are not as arrogant or dictatorial as ihe meilical fraternitv, " said Mr. Young. "I think it iniglit be considered that any person who Lolds offi.ee in a trade 1111 ion should be~required to make a ileclaration that he is not a Nazi, Fascist or Romniunitjt and that he up hokls constitutional authority, " con tiuued Mr. Young. Ilon. IV. Blaek (Nelson) said1 nothing was more important- than that people should be kept 111 work. If a Governnient was so weak that it eould not dea1 with the question of industrial relationships eould a conferenee do anytliing to assist ? he asked. Ilon. J. Roberts (Wellington) said industrial disputes too often were the liandiwork of political propaganda and that should not be allowed. Mr. Roberts said that the time had arrived when the workers would have representation in the running of industry, and if the conferenee came to a decision giving workers some representation in management that would give the workers responsibility. ^