LABOUR UNREST.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1847, 5 September 1913, Page 7

LABOUR UNREST.

———* A YEAR OF STRIKES. |1' INSATIABLE DEMANDS OF 0 UNIONS. t ' ■ ' a EMPLOYERS' REVIEW. f 4 The annual report of tho Wellington t Employers' Association is an interest-. >- ing document. It gives a review of the labour troubles and "holds^up" ' that have occurred during tho year, J and to some extent deals witli certain > phases of labour legislation which,may. y bo improved by a clearer understand' y iug. The report is as follows:— The Walhl Strike. ' e "The past twelve months have boe'A d fraught with tho worst form of labour ' k- unrest tho Dominion has experienced sinco the Arbitration Act came into [if operation. Of chief importance has a been tlio Waihi strike, which was n brought about by members of tho New Zealand Federation, of Labour, in an endeavour to coerce tho engine-drivers at Waihi into joining their organisation, 3 and because those engine-drivers had l 0 tho temerity to form a union of their j.' own, and had expressed a desire to settie tho working conditions of their em--16 ployment by direct conference jvith their employers. Tho strike resulted in the In Waihi mines being unworked for a long in period, and many grave breaches of tlie l 0 laws were'committed by tho in i s their endeavours to intimidate workers, 41 and prevent them from working in the 10 mines. The persecution of those who wore willing to work terminated in their r _ ultimately turning upon their tormeutors and driving them from tho neigh-' ls bourhood. During the-progress of the a l strike, Waihi citizens called upon tho Government to give them police proif| tection. Had it not been for the prent sence of the police, it is believed lawlessness at Waihi would have been ram- \ pant, and the position of people willing ill to go peaceably about their work would )n have been intolerable. In the end tho m workers employed formed a union, secures ed registration under the Arbitration. Act, and entered into an industrial o- agreement with the employers. Tho nolto icy of the Federation of Labour has proved entirely antagonistic to the Arbitration Laws, and has shown that the i only, argument it relies upon is that of - tho strike. The Slaughtermen's Strike. n '.'The busy season of tlio freezing ccimpanies\ was selected by tho slaugh« ~ termon bf tho Dominion for tho making of an unreasonable demand of an increaso of ss. per hundred in the rate a " for slaughtering sheep. This demand n ". was made notwithstanding tlio definite "A arrangement made at the preceding con-, >Ji ference hold in 1910 between tho Do* m- minion employers and the. representaig tives of the Slaughtermen's Federation, , . that tho settlement then arrived at wa« n- for a period of five years. Owing tfi ig the limitation by tho Arbitration Aci ■ .1'- to three years of tho term for which an th industrial agreement might bo made, as that term was sot out in the agreement. iy filed, tho employers believing tlio wojk-*' ig ers would faithfully observe the terms to for the five years agreed upon. The to Federation's representatives encouraged' v- this belief by agreeing to tho insertion lie of the following clause in the agreeri- went: 'Extension T 'of period'of "agreen- ment .' The New Zealand Federated Slaughtermen's Association shall 'r. further agreo to undertake by means of ed separate agreements to uso its best en--3n deavours to renew ■ this agreement in all its essential details at the expirajy tion of the.' abovo-mcntioned term (3, jv years) for a further period of two years. D 'f It is evident the slaughtermen, prior to the expiry of the three years term, had determined to ignore thoir undertaking, and to break faith with tho employers. .The cancellation of the registration of their unions was timed to ; mature simultaneously with tho expiry : of the terms of tho agreements, and 1 • their demands for an increased rate were immediately served upon employers. 'Not. content, .these unions went further, and immediately took steps to a secure their re-registration under the 10 Arbitration Act, with the obvious inn" tcntion of endeavouring to prevent regsr istration of any other unions. They L V then pressed their demand for a ss. , increaso, refused a reasonablo advance :1 » of 2s. Gd. offered by tho employers, and A went out on strike. Tho employers remainod firm and united, in tlieir..deter*., lnination to concede nothing further, and they ultimately ■ secured workers, not members of the unions, who "k able to carry on the slaughtering. TJlti-c-------matel.y those men formed a union whiclt 'i*" 1 sought j'egistration under the Arbitra* ud tion Act. The old union, _ which had immediately after cancellation ro-regis-, he terod under tho Act, endeavoured to cr prevent tlio registration of the new °f union, but an appeal to tho Arbitration n) Court resulted in a decision which en■i) abled the new union to secure its regisP- tration. Members of_ tlio local new r. v.nion aro rendering satisfactory service. ;s ' and aro working under an industrial id agreement entered into for three years, er but which the employers believe will en« 1,1 sure a mucli longer period of industrial peacc. , Trade Disputes. »- "The usual volume of insatiable de>-; mands of unions for more pay and fewer n- working hours has been exoorienced duref iug the year. Some relief with respecU to court nroccedings has been afforded, through tho Court agreeing to deal with disputes simultaneously initiated in several centres as Dominion disputes, and Dominion awards have been secured' covering drivers, bakers, and pastry- ). cooks, bootmakers, and the several classes of workers Engaged in tho printing trade. Local disputes in which awards have been made wore: Pastrycooks, butchers, free?,iug work employees, grocers, builders' labourers, general >re labourers, hotel workers, match factory 'VO female employees, musicians, plasterers, ho plumbers, saddlers, soft goods trades ho employees, wholesale merchants' storesi. men, tailorcsscs (shops and factories), ro aud timber-yard and sawmill workers. The settlement of disputes by conciliation councils is admittedly advisable in theory, but in actual practice experience is proving there is a grave danger of tlio interests of other employers who are not parties being seriously prejudiced and injured 6 " by • the insertion of clauses in 'agreements or recommendations that amount to tlio abandonment of principles for' i<r which members have in tho past eon-» 0 sisteully and successfully fought-. This li! is especially noticeable in connection 1U with preference clauses, Sections of ,j employers have agreed to provisions that, C 1 the Arbitration Court has never yet u_ inserted in awards, and that the unions c _ are using for the purpose of coercing independent workers into thoir unions. This is a most serious matter, aud members are most urgently meed to oppose preference to unionists. .Should it ho deemed advisable to concede a form or r preference, then employers are appealed to to rofnso any form of preference that [n differs from the Employers' Federation lc model award forms. As tlio actual effect of the forms of preference awaided bv tho Arbitration Court do not appealto' be clearlv understood by many em- "■ ployors it may assist them to a better. cs understanding of tho Court's preferco onco clauses if they will remember the "" following remark of Mr. Justice Chap. m man. 'It. has always been rocopiisod in as a cardinal rule that tho giving of n- preference of employment to unionists Is not intended to foreo an uusuit-abla

man upon an employer to the detriment of his business.' Industrial Unrest. "In common with other_ industrial world centres, New' Zealand is experienC' ing a full share of the' troubles brought about by what the committee considers are prevalent mistakon ideas in the minds of some workers that they are - not receiving adequate pay for services rendered, and that their interests and those of thoir employers are antagonisThe inculcation of. these boliefs ' is directly due to the advocacy of a'considerable section of the workers' leaders who are creating a grave and hurtful impression in the minds of many workers that' they are not receiving fair .treatment from their employers. The resulting dissatisfaction is snowing Jiot only in decreasing efficiency in the work in hand, but also in the characters of the-workers. The absence of the right spirit in many employees is plainly apparent, and tnis must inevitably injuriously affect their moral fibre and general character, and efficiency. The present attitudo of workers towards their work is a large factor in creating a disinclination on the part of those _ with capital to venturo into any new industry. The open advocacy of lawlessness and disregard of botlif legal and moral by some leaders is doing untold harm to'this Dominion. ; Arbitration Act. "The amendments of this Act passed In 1911 have failed' to effect the purpose aimed at in several respects. The provisions intended to citable applications to -he lodged' for Dominion awards ' did' not provide adequate machinery, and 1 , however desirable it may be considered to have one uniform award for 'any given industry, this cannot be secured under the provisions of the Act as they standi at present. "The Amendment Act apparently purported to re-enact that recommendations of Conciliation Councils should operate as industrial agreements, unless parties lodged objections within one month. The Arbitration Court has decided that Euoh recommendations are practioallv a nullity, and: have no binding effect aiipon ■ employers. i The Jlassey Government has stated 'its intention to .introduce an amending and consolidating Act this session, and i your committee trusts tamendments will contain clauses that will prevent i unions from escaping penalties for striking by cancelling their, registration, and that will compel all unions or conibina- i tion of workers to use-the methods pro- ( "rided by law for the settlement of in- ; (histrial disputes. ( : "The experiences of tiio past year de- j momstrated that the law relating to registration of unions requires revision ( and amendment,' as the registration of several bona-fide unions has recently ■been fefused' or seriously delayed, to the ■ hindrance of industrial peace. Industrial Legislation. ] "With respect to industrial legislation, employers were fortunately practically free from the necessity for considering amendments or new legislation, , owing chiefly, it is believed, to the existonce of a new Parliament, and the . taking over of the reins of Government < |by Mr*. Massey and his party. It is J • hoped that the new Government will 1 ''recoffliiso 'that the trades and industries j of tho Dominion have already been sub- J Jected to more restrictive' legislation 'thanils necessary, and will grant a time of peace. , "The operation of the Shops and Offices Act is continuing -to harass and. interfere with the business of shopkeepers, and is preventing them from coping with the .unavoidable exigencies of their IbuSiness. The shopkeepers of the city ;»ro looking forward' to securing, through tho Minister for Labour and Parliament, some relief from many of the unnecessary restrictions . they are labouring Sunder. 'i. : "Owing to the repeal in 1910 of the 1 wise provision of the Shops and Offices Act, .that legislative restrictions_ should ! b6 subject to awards of the Arbitration 1 Court, it is found that certain unions 1 a-re continuing to appeal to Parliament ' to grant them privileges and concessions 1 whioh tho Arbitration Court has refused ' them. Tho serious feature of this granting by Parliament of concessions ( in hours and holidays is that the awards 1 of the Court have been based upon 1 existing conditions, and the Legisla- ' ture has not up to the present seen 1 fit to make tho reasonable and eauitable 1 provision that employers shall oe ontitledl to make n. fair and proportionate : deduction from the wages of workers 1 when the conditions of work provided in ' an award are interfered : with or the 1 hours of work are reduced."