STRIKE BREAKING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1908, 17 November 1913, Page 10

STRIKE BREAKING.

A BRITISH COMBINE. I AN EMPLOYERS' £30.000,000 GUARANTEE FUNS. The formation of tlio United Kingdom Employers' Defeftco Union is tho reply of British employers to tho strikes and ii'diistriat disturbances which have recently occurred in tho United Kingdom. Tho "Ago's" London correspondent states that tnero has been considerable secrecy coacernuig the now organisation, for, although tho preliminary: meeting was held in May, its aims and objccts have only now been announced. : And thc.ro Is no excess of candor in tiro announcement that has now been made. Stress is laitli 011 tho claim that tho Employers' Dcleneo Union doos not' intend to tako up an attitude antagon-' isiic to tradi> union policy,' but «b it apparently has very conservative ideas of what the right policy of trade. union-. isffl should be, no real injustice will be done by regarding it as the..opponent' of the claims of tho working classes for higher wages and better working conditions. Indeed, it is contended, by tho promoters of. tho Employers' Defence Union that tho interests of employers demand thai a determined re-. -sistanco should be made against "tho new trada unionism." The flew trade unionism differs from tlie old in' that it is more active, aiid in accordance with democratic progress is lucre insistent in its demands for better treatment of the, worlters. ' .The specific. otoncfl with which employers charge it is the. use of intimidation ' to compel non- [ unionists to join tho unions, The maim -object o'f the, United Kingdom Employers' Defence Union is to raise a guarantee fund of £50,000,000 with w&ifih!''to ■combat strikes. The money will bo used to enable the offi*ployers affected by a,strike tp keep their works going by free labour, and, if necessary, tboVfreo labour will bo imported from the Continent. Money will also be spent in affording armed protection to free- lahpurers. It is not the intention of the Employers' Dcfer.ce Union to raise. £50,00.0,000 .straight away, ■ but only to obtain from employers of labour guarantees as to Hie amount which they' will be prepared to contribute to maintain: the cause* ot members of tho union in future conflicts with the trade unions-. It i.s 'confidently espectcd ttiat the guarantees will amount to £50,000,000, and some of the promoters of the new body declare that it will not begin active work until that amount is guaranteed. Each employer ■ who joins the union will be expected to guarantee a.sum corotnonsufrito with his position in the commercial tyorld. When a strike occurs, a cal.l will be made on every member of the union for ccntributiqn-s to suppress it. These contriWions «'iH be in proportion to j the amount -of the guarantee of each .employer, but they are-iaot- to exceed \"i per'cent-.' of the .guarantee in any one,year/ Two manufacturers in ft la-rgd way of business havo already promised to .guarantee £60,000 each, and tiers have been many promises ox guarantees of £5000 to £10,000. .Those stuns are indicative of the bitterness tif spirit w'hush .exists between: jo-mo. ftrripkyers ■and their workers. • ' ■ <*

TJto United KingdSSi Employers' Defcneo Union is' intended'to swallow lip all the lesser tniions, of employers, and to ■unite all classes of employers in a common cause. Tho list of the leaning men associated with if. does not include JTie.ro than two or three men who are identified wdth.'the-large; industrial nttdbrt'ald)igs'ifr?Great Britain, The railway companies, tho ship-buildinp industry, and the coal mining iimiistry are not yet. represented on it, and because of this tno opponents of the new organisation predict .its early failure! lint it is.6oßiewh.tfc premature t,o prophesy failure or success in connection ■svitli it. To a largo extent tho men who are at present known to.'bo .associated witli it are men connected with t'maniual organisations and tho legal profession. It will be registered as a .trade union, so as to_ enjoy tho same privileges and exemptions as-the-trade unions of tho workers. It will make every effort to securo an "amendment of the Trades Disputes "Act so as to render picketing and boycfitting illegal,In considering any development in Great Britain which affects the relations between capital and labour, it is necessary to remember thai'- Great; Britain Is far behind Australia in industrial legislation. In Australia the Workers have "Won many victories in I'arlianipnt which the BrHislj workmen have still'to light for, . jfol'this reason tho struggle between organised capital in Great Britiiin., and the trade union* is ono which }i:is no is&sv lessons for Australia. It remains to fee seen what will bo the effect or organised capital in dealing with strikes. If it succeeds in convincing the Workers that strikes are a , bad method of attempting to improve their conditions it will incidontlly d'o. a groat de.i} of good to' tho cause of' democracy*; for tho wbrkers' wilt filien recognise thai the best way to secure tegitimato aims ; is through tho ballot box. It is an interesting tact that leading members of- the Labour party in tho Houso of Commons still regard strikes as the most effective weapon that tho workers can use.

During the' past two years 'strikes' Old threatened strikes havo fecon more: numerous in Great Britain than at any other time. And some 'of tho strikes would never liavo taken placo if the dictates of common sense had prevailed. : It is this fact which lias helped to exasperate employers all over the country. There have .been strikes of thousands of men over tho dismissal of oiio man for an individual Tault. In tho shipbuilding districts there liavo been strikes of boiler-makers for higher wages,, although they could . increase their -earnings by 10 tp go per cent, if they worked full time, instead of taking time off to attend foot-ball matches. Agreements conscientiously ejitereci into by trade union officials on behalf of tho members of their unions liavo been bicKeu 'by the workers at their own eo»venierace. There have been sympathetic strikes of workers ivJio lra-vo had nothing whatever to do'with tho grievances of tlio original strike.

Tlio formation of the United Kingdom Employers* JMones Unioft is welcomed by many officials of trades iiiijpns in tlio belief that a powerful organisation of employers will strengthen the trade unions movement among the .workers. If it achieves only half of what it hag sot itself to do, it will greatly embitter the relations between eapilal and labour. Even the Conservative newspapers are doubtful if the new organisation will prove of any real benefit tt> employers generally. Tho "Times," which was the first paper to announce its existence, questions tho wisdom of tho courso mapped out by the i.sew body. '■jSTot in .strife, or tlio appearance o! strife." says tho in a leading article, "but in mnttml 'cooperation, lifts the best hope of the establishment of light relations lietwben capital and labour. This truth lias been fully ' grasped by the majority of out most successful fittrm, whoso prosperity is based oil a recognition of community of interest among employers and employed."