WHY NO SECRET BALLOT? MINISTER

Chronicle (Levin), 6 April 1949, Page 7

WHY NO SECRET BALLOT? MINISTER

[ WELLINGTON, April 5. Tlie following letter was sent tonight - by the Minister of Labour, Mr. Mc , Lagan, to the secretary of. the New Zealand Waterside Workers' tJnion: "I am in receipt of your letter of April 5 conveying the resolution passed by your national executive today. In ■ my letter to you of March 31, 1 called attention to your union 's failure to honour its undertaking to accept aua : abide by decisions of tlie Waterfront . Industry Authority. 1 pointed out that this dishonoiiring of your' . union 'S pledge was undermining the basis on which commission control of the waterfront was founded and I asked that a piebiscite vote of your nienibe'rs be taken to ascertain if they vvantc.u conuuissioh control to continue, on tlie understanding that the uniou 's pledge would be honoiired. Your assertion thai this is interference in your union 's affairs and an attempt to usurp the functions of the Waterfront Industry Authority is the , veriest nonseuse anj will not mislead any body. '• "In view of your claim that your union is democratic, it is difficult to understand your o'pviotis reluctanace to take a secret ballot of your membei's on the question of whether your unioii s piedge is to be kept or not. Surely offi! ciais of a democratic union wouid wel come such an opportunity to prove how . truly they represent the views Of then members.* Can it be that your executive is uouociul of the result of such a ballot? "I note that the policy of your union, as deterniined- by your national council, is for a continuauce of commission control but would remind you that it is uot the opinion of your national council that is desired 011 that matter — it is the views of members oi your uiiion as a wkole that are of real lniportance and it is precisely those views which your executive appears tobe reluctant to obtain. "The public will be interes'ted in your executive 's confession of its deliberate refusal to accept and abide by a decision of tlie Waterfront Industry Authority in tlie Northuinbeflaiid dis pute but it will not think very highly of your attempt to throvv responsibility for that breaeli of f'aith upon the Federation of Labour. Minister' s Reminder. "In answer to your inquirv as to vvhat other decisions of the Waterfront Industry Authority your unidn has disobeyed, I need only remind 3'ou that it is the very essence of the Waterfront Industry Authority 's decisions that work shali be continued 011 the waterfront without any unauthorised stop pagcs. The long list of such stoppages enumerated in my letter to you of March 31 shows repeated disobedience of the authority 's decision. " Furthermore, I would remind you of tlie following resolutions carried by your Auckland branch on Friday. February 11, after its me'mbers hau, iieen addressed 011 the subject by your national presideut, Mr. Barnes, aua your national vice-president, Mr. Drennan: '(1) This branch resolves as'an immediate protest at the Waterfront industry Authority 's farcieal decision 011 our wages claims, that no work be performed until 8 ,1.111. on Mouday; (2) - further, we request an immediate meeting of tlie national executive in order. to secure a just decision on our claimY for an increasj,e. ' 'J lie resolutions were reported to the press by the secretary of your Auckland branch. These resolil tions can hardly be unknown to your national executive. That being the mauiier in which ,>our unioii 's undertaking has been observed, what value' can be attached to your executive 's iatest undertaking to continue on those lines } "It is precisely beeause the Govern-' inent is desirous of having an undertaking of real value- that it has publicly asked for the views of your uaion's members 011 this matter." .