OPPRESSING THE TRADES UNIONIST

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2144, 9 May 1914, Page 4

OPPRESSING THE TRADES UNIONIST

Tfii deputation from the recent " Conference sf Labour Unions, which 1 waiter) Upon the PiuJie Minister 1 yesterday, was. not handicapped by ' any undue modesty in stating its tie- " niitiuk Nov did it evince the, 1 slightest regard for the interests of J tiie general public. Its only concern j was to secure such n.n alteration ol > the law as would enable a majority, < in any given brarrah of iniugtry, to l dominate the labour situation in \ that regardless of everyone s else, 'rhat, in effect, was what its i Various requests amounted to, ''The $ Great Jj.ii.rd Party" to all ih-luSfcrial • J disputes, die general public, was quite a negligible quantity. Jfor I ttid the deputation confine its re- t quests to the industrial side of La- » bour unionism. It wished to attain ' the right. to compel a minority .to J! Subscribe to I lie funds of a majority,. f to further a political cause tu'wliich the minority Slight he hilteflv op- " posed. This prinoiplo is outrageous* ji ly wrong. The law properly' gives t a certain status #«d contain pevnjrs to trades unions as trades unions, in £ order to .place them ni a. position to t secure I'easijftabto working comii- t . titin4 and rates of pay .for their men> s J bars. In most cases nowadays a: s )

man engaged as a tradesman or .ft labourer is compelled to join a Labour anion, and contribute to its . fniids, in unler to secure employment, _ and thus earn ;t livelihood. . This is the oufcon'.; of the, existing law and tho granting r>f joieforonco to unionists, . Bub while the law ! thus recognises tho benefits of t-fjiiJos ■ Vtniouiaai, _ it is cjuif-c another j'nattor to claim that privileges granted to . trades unions should bo made a< means of political tyranny and onjjressjion.; A man might willingly , cniitr'lmte his weekly payment to the funds of his umon for trades' ■union purposes, and yet. resent with till the force of Ins manhood the di? r version of those funds to servo <i , political purpose entirely alien to his sympathies and eonvtetiops, A Labour union, as its name implies is aii industrial, not a_ political nr- , ganisatimi, and no unionist should bo deprived of tho privilege, which , every other member of tlje cornmun- ■ , i'fcy enjoys., of exercising lus indivi- , chml judgment where his political , convictions are concerned, T'h&sec- ,, ret ballot was designed .to ensure that tlio fullest liberty shall be oxer- ■] . eised by every citizen in giving ef- , feet to lijs political views without , tear or favour. What yesterday's , deputation sought was the power of I a majority to use the machinery of' j trades Unionism to compel a minor- ! ity to contribute to the support of , ft political [i-irty to which they, were . ■ opposed--in other words, to job them of one of their most; treasured rights k as free British subjects, the right to art in accordance with their politi- . ea.) coHvict'ioji'S. < It is not a new tyranny, this, as the .famous. Rpp..s"e ease bears testimony,' Thc.ro. i is not the slightest justification for , conceding the power to any class' of industrial unions to use tho privi- ; leges granted them as industrial unions, to oppress and forte money ; from their members to serve political ©ids, Where it is desired to form ■ labour organisations 'for political : purposes this can be, accomplished , simply enough, without, involving the ■ Labour unions as such, and no objection can he taken, provided, of course, that membership is purely voluntary. The Prime Miviste'r yesterday appeared to appreciate the vicious nature of the request- put forward by the deputation, and there is . very little doubt that the suggested . amendment of the law will meet with scant sympathy from lii.ni, or, : indeed, from anyone who values the retention i>y all classes of the com- ] mvmitv of the frcoclom to exercise their full political rights and privi-1 leges.