THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 47, 19 November 1920, Page 7

THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE

HIGHLY-ORGANISED LABOUR BODY ITB AIMS AND OBJECTS To many people not intimately acquainted with Labour ' questions, tho Triple Alliance is but o name, and they are eager to know what is the natureof tlio organisation which can giro such momentous decisions. What, they aro asking, are its powers, and its objects; what "its limitations, if "any? The answer to these questions, says the London "Daily TelegrapV' is that in 1913 an alliance was formed of miners, railwaymcu. and transport workers for offensive and defensive purposes. The big dock and coal strikes of 1911 and 1912 had emphrtsised tho fact that strength lay in mutual understanding between the union?, and a few of the leaders iu the Labour movement, mainly Mr. Smillio and Jlr. •T. JL Thomas, drafted a scheme. Under it the three unions, the Miners' Federation, the National Union of Railwaymcn. and the National Transport Workers' Federation, banded themselves together for the purpose of discussing any national crisis, any wage movement, or any other issue in which one or other of the' bodies was involved.' In the decision to form the nlliniijs the predominating factor was undoubtedly the recognition of the fact that in the case of the miner, the railwayman, and the transport worker, what affected the one was sure to affect all. Experience had shown how a strike in one industry caused a stoppage-in the others. Thousands were thrown out of work, but none of the advantages were reaped which might be expected to accrue from sympathetic action. The Triple Allianjw went one step beyond that; it wan founded on the principle that even more

powerful than sympathetic strikes were synchronised strikes, with their power to paralyse the whole country. Points of the Constitution. The objects and constitution of tiio Triple Alliance are set out'as follow in the labour Year-Book, the official publi""to" »jf the Parliamentary Committee ot the JLrades Union Congress, the Executive tpnimittee of the labour Party, and tbc Labour Kesearch Department ■— j 1. Mutters submitted to the joint body must bo of a national character in the opinion of the body raising them, and such as necessitate joint action. 2. Co-operation is Dot to be expected until the matter in dispute has been endorsed by tho national executive primarily concerned. No movement shall be instituted by any of tho affiliated bodies if it is likely to involve the others, until it" has been submitted to the joint body for consideration. 3. Periodical meetings of tho three full executives to be held-at least half-yearly. 4. Consultative coinnritteo of six—two from each executive—who may call a conference «t any time, and must call ono' on applicaion by any one of the threo bodies, , , 5. .Management expenses to be met by contributions from each body of a 6um of 10s. per 1000 members. /G. Every effort shall proceed among tho three sections to create effective and complete control 'of their resnectivo bodies. 7. Autonomy reserved to each body to take action on its own behalf. 8. Joint action can only be,-taken when the question at issuo has been before the members of the three organisations and decided by such methods as tho constitution of each organisation provides, and the conference shall then bo called without delay to consider and decide tho question of taking action. 9. No obligation shall devolve on any of the threo bodies to act unless these conditions are complied with. Iu Juno. 1917, the' constitution of the Triple Alliance was formally ratified at a conference of 280.delegates, representing trade unionists. How long that constitution will bo allowed to stand cannot be indicated, but it is clearly the intention of its founders to extend it, if possible. Explaining the origin of the alliance, Mr, J. H. Thomas staled: "The workers concerned saw that sectional unionism had become obsolete, and that even occupational unionism would have to be put into tho meltingpot and recast. Not only must future organisation bo on industrial lines, and its marking of the units of industry pay some regard to tho ■' employer, but there must 1« co-operation betweau tho various industrial unions."

i Membershiti and Funds. The power whioh this very highly organised body can wield, for good or for 'evil, is enormous. Indeed, it is the proud boast of the Triple Alliance that it can "stop'every wheel in the country." Its affiliated sooietics represent a membership of approaching 2,000,000, made up approximately as. follow:— ; Miners 901,000 Eailwaymen , 330,000 Transport workers .... 350,000 The total strength of the mining industry at present ib 1,200,000, but of these less than a million are in tho Minors' Federation, and consequently subject to tho dictates of tho Triple Alliance. As regards funds, tho Triple Alliaiico is in the peculinr position of being able to dictate a policy without having any finanoes with which to carry it out. The Triple Alliance bos no funds. Thoro is no common pooling of the resources of its constituents. Ono nnion, for instance, may be in a state of comparative affluence, while another, through strikes and other causes, may have sadly depleted ooffers. In spite of tho optimistic reports of trado union officials, it is known that immediately prior to tho miners' strike tho funds woro sadly depleted nnd quite unable to bear the strain of a long strike. In well-informed quarters the belief was held that on an average taken over tho whole country the funds would last as follow r-Miners, maximum funds, three weeks; rajlwaymcn, maximum funds, two wooks; transport workers, under three weeks.