Workers Must Study the Common Weal

Chronicle (Levin), 6 September 1949, Page 7

Workers Must Study the Common Weal

Eeceived MOnday, 7 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 5. A call to workers to outlaw unotiicial strikes wliich. he described as wildcat , dis'turbances, was inade by Sir William Lawther in his presidemrial address to the annual Trades Uniori Congress at Bridli'ngton, York'shire, today. He deeiared that trade uriionists had allow'ed ' themselves to become involved in st'opr pages which agitators had deliberatelyerigineered. Uriionists who took part in such stoppages were piaying into the aands of those who sought to subveri trade union" "organisation. - ■■ " " We mukt be ori guard against the misuse of the strike' weapori," he said. ■ ' In day's gone by it has been tht strongest weapori iri our armoury and we would resist any attrimpt to deprive workers of the right to strike. But in recent disputes it has been made use or vvhere no real trade rinion interest is involved. "The time has come when unofliciai strikes must he outlawed and union discipiine must be enforeed against those who promote, organise and leaa them. It is ■ contrary to commonsense that we should support economic and social policies, seek improved wages and conditions through greater productivity, and more and more efficiency in the management and conduct of industry, and at the same time tolerate wild-

cat disturbances of the orderly processes in production." Sir William Lawther continued:' " We cau go on in the old way treating every dispute as a manifeMation of an irreconcilable conflict of interest between emplover and employee, or we can reeognise tliat the attainriient of political democracy- leajls to the fulfilment of industrial democracy. That means that every trade union- has its speciflc contribution to make in guiding the transformation of capitalistic proiiteering enterprises into public services. ' ' He said that the majority of electors j would not vofce for the Labour Govemmeut at the uext election if trade unionists set their sectional interests against the common weal. He denied eriticisms that the tGovernment had established welfare services it could not alford to pav out oi the couutry's resources and statements that Britaiu's economic difiicultios were due to "Socialist extravagance,muddle and incompeteuce. " The facts sliowed that Britisli workers were getting down to the job. - Eecalling that last time the Congress met at Bridlington, was ten years ago, 24 hours after war had Iieen declareu 011 Germanv, Sir William Lawther said: "It is now a cold war. When we entere/1 the last war the Britisli Communist Party reviled us and was malignantly active in trying to sabotage our wai eft'ort. They o'oeyed the dictated policv of the Sovict Government tlier aligned with Nazi Germany under the Eibbentrop-Molotpv agreement. Just as we took our staml against totalitariauism in Septeinbei'j-.l 939, so we stand in September, 1.94!), against totalitarianisni and imperialist aggression from whatever quarter it may come."