TRADE UNION COERCION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 297, 4 September 1918, Page 5

TRADE UNION COERCION

STRONG COMMENT FROM THE , i ' ' BENCH. / , , J Judge Curlewis, in delivering a judg- ■ ment in the New South Wales Indus- ; trial Arbitration Court recently, made \ sonie pointed remarks in regard to : methods employed to coerce men into joining trade unions. /'I express no, , opinion here as to the rights onwrongs of military conscription, His Honour; . , said. "I simply say that if it is.slavery, industrial conscription is no better." • ■ . ' William Sadler, plasterer, had ap- , pealed against a decision of the Chief; Industrial' Magistrate. Appellant, it appeared, was sued in June last before tho Magistrate for the payment of-' £o 9s. 6d., -balance of union subscription, said to be due, and a verdict for the sum claimed was given, with 4s. costs. 1 Sadler then appealed, mainly on the ground that he was not a member of the union. . \ ; His Honour stated that the appellant had said that he joined, the union; in the following circumstances: He was .'•.■■■ working on a job when Cooley, secretary of the union, came to him, and threatened to call the other men off the • job unless appellant would join , the union. . \: "Now," continued His Honour, after, reviewing the evidence, "I can quite understand , that the unions resent the , fact that there are workers who take ali the benefits that have been eeeured , ' to them bv the efforts'and self-denial of the unionists, yet refuse to help ; who \ have helped them so well. It'would be nothing short of .marvel:\ lous if this resentment were not felt. But tho unions must not enforce the exceUence of an excellent argument by saying to the non-unionist, 'Either see the validity of our resentment or starve to death.' And they must remember that there are some men who take the attitude ( we need no union , assistance to get good wages and conditions. We can depend on ourselves for these. Wo recognise that there is an.obligation to see that our weaker fellow-workers also get fair wages and conditions; and, if the unione confined themselves to these objects we should not object to join. ■' But we object to getting entangled in their politics, we object to being hounded out or. hounding others out of the Labour movement; if we or they happen to" hold conscientious views differing from those of the majority. And we also object to being compelled to choose between the alternatives of joining in strikes under- ■ taken in defiance of the ; law, in total r disregard of our'duties to our country and of the eolemn obligations of our agreements; strikes that assist .the Germans'and stab our fighting,men in the back, or subject ourselves arid mir helpless wives and children to fonl abuse. "It is somewhat extraordinary that' the unions should resent the , proposal to adopt conscription for the defence or the country as an attempt to introduce slavery, but should think that conscription for the purpose of forcing: the workers td join unions is a laudable proceeding. There can be no stronger form of conscription than to offer aman the choice, of joining a union or being deprived of his means of livelihood. A man who refused to submit to military conscription would, , at the? worst, 'be shot; he would not be put to • death by slow starvation. The .whole thing simply shows how one's Tiewof.. compulsion differs according to whether it is the view of the man who exercises or that of the man who undergoes compulsion. I expreesiib opinion here asto the rights or wrongs of military cor-' seription; I simpljv.'say that if.it is, slavery, industrial conscription is no e, 'I reverse th« decision of the Magistrate, dismiss the complaint, and uphold tho appeal. '-The order for costs, made by the Magistrate ml be avoided by my order, and I further dirwt the union to pay ten. shillings for appellant's costs."