THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 22440, 10 September 1936, Page 14

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

(By Trade Unionist.) INDUSTRIAL UNITY. The speeches that were delivered by leading trade union officials in Wellington last week at a social function held under the auspices of the Wellington Trade and Labour Council to celebrate the shorter working week were more'or less punctuated with appeals for industrial unity. The Hon. T, Armstrong, Minister of Labour, _ who proposed the principal toast—viz., “ The Shorter Working Week,” in the course of his remarks mentioned that he was being, approached by several different sections, who all purported l to -represent the national industrial movement. On occasions he was in a quandary just whom to_ recognise, and he ventured the opinion that such a position was not in the best interests of the trade union movement. As a result of the Minister’s remarks Mr L. Glover, president of the Alliance of Labour, in responding to the toast of “The Intel-national Labour Movement,” mentioned that his duties brought him into personal contact with trade union leaders in the respective centres, and without exception all were in favour of coming together to support a national policy in the industrial movement. , Mr J. Read, president of the Wellington Trades Council, who presided at, the function, also referred to the lack of unity amongst the workers on national policies, and urged improvement in this direction. It appears to the writer that if some responsible body or a large single industrial organisation was to step out and call an open conference of trade union delegates from all over the Dominion, a national industrial organisation would evolve, absorbing the present sectional bodies that the Minister in his remarks mentioned.

MAKE HUSBANDS JOIN UNION. “ Those women whose husbands are not members of a trade union ought to refuse to live with them till'they are,” saidi Mr Tom Williams, M.P., at a Stamford demonstration in support of the National Union of Agricultural Workers.

“ While working men and women will not defend themselves politically,” he declared, “ they deserve about all they get.” No ordinary individual, he added, could hope to understand the complications of unemployment insurance and the laws relating to industrial compensation, and so on. Only if,he bea union which had experts ■to advise him was there any chance of getting the maximum ’ benefit. All workers, especially land workers, should therefore join a trade union. FARM WORKERS ORGANISE. Land workers from all parts of East Anglia attended the , annual Burstbn demonstration recently, held under the auspices of the National Union Agricultural Workers, on, the village common adjoining the Burston “ strike ” school. The principal speakers were:—Mr Walter Windsor, M.P. for Centra! Hull; Aid. R. F. Jackson, former M.P. for Ipswich ;and, Mr and _ Mrs Tom (Higdon, teachers of the strike school, founded 22 years ago by trade union subscriptions after they had been dismissed from their posts at the Council School following a dispute, with the rector and managers. Mr Windsor condemned the Government's new unemployment Assists a;e Regulations, and said hundreds of thousands of psen'o' would he worse off under them than they are now. Special .regulations for farm workers would mean lower assistance /or them than their fellow workers in town. I 1 ’ 1 "' were the usual Tory regulations, which meant that those in a lower grade ot life must be perpetually kept in that grade. They were not based on what a man and his family should have, but how little they can exist on. • DRIVERS’ DISPUTE SETTLED, After about _ four months of protracted conciliation proceedings, an agreement was arrived at in Wellington on 'Saturday in the Dominion drivers’ dispute. _ A total of TGI days was spent in negotiations which proved very difficult owing to so many different interests being involved. At \the initial stages of the conciliation sitting, an attempt was made to separate the various parties for tho purpose of making separate awards for such as town and suburban carriers, long-distance transport carriers, local bodies, bakers’ drivers, and a miscellaneous section to cover general drivers, such as those employed by merchants, etc. In the final analysis, however, the dispute ■ was divided into sections—namely, town and suburban and general carriers,' who will be included in part one of the award about to be made, and, long-distance mo+or, , truck operators, to be covered by part two of the same award. A further dispute has been set down for October 2, affecting local bodies’ drivers, for whom there .will'be an entirely separate award. The terms of settlement were not entirely satisfactory to the drivers for the reason that they did not obtain the_ 40hour week/ having reluctantly decided to accept a 44-hour week, with the right to go to the Arbitration Court for a lesser working week,, .. where the principal business of the firms obeys that rule.

Tho 1931 rate of wages which were restored by the Labour Government’s Finance Act' from. July 1, were agreed to. The concessions won by. the drivers were that each driver, 'after 12 months’ service, is to receive a week’s holiday on-full pay or pro rata payments if he leaves his employment or is dismissed. Weekly payments of wages have-been restored, with no standing down time through slackness of work; additional payments are to bo made to drivers for carting cement, basic slag, etc., and for carting offal , and coal m bags of 1801 b and over in weight. Tho long-distance drivers are to receive 5s a week in addition to the schedule of rates set out for the town and suburban men. The award is for one year, and is to come into force immediately. Tho matters left for settlement by the court are:— (1) Hours of work (in tho j oaso of the house or principal business working 40 hours, the drivers to work the same hours). Workers demand, employers not agreed. (2) Bakers’ drivers; Is 3d an hour to be paid additional to drivers called upon to work before 7 a.m. Workers’ demand; employers disagree.

(3) Casual drivers; rates for casual drivers not agreed to. (4) Part 2 of the award which effects long-distance transport only: All work performed on Sundays, such as carting cream or fat stock to freezing works, to be paid for at double time rates in addition to the weekly rates of pay. Workers’ demand; employers disagreed. * * * * - UNDERFED IN BRITAIN, “ Statistics prepared by an eminent authority show that there are 13,600,000 out of Britain’s 45,000,000 population dragging out existence on a diet which would be scorned if offered to cattle.” These were the words of Mr Frank Bailey, the general secretary, presenting his annual report to the Approved Society of the National Union of Railwaymon in London. Ho had had opportunities, he said, of visiting many of the depressed areas, and he had been appalled by the shocking physical condition of the men, women, and children as compared w-ith workers in more fortunate areas. “ We are told the enemy is at our gate, but there is a more subtle and dangerous foe within the gate—the dragon of under-feeding. How can the approved societies look with equanimity on the future ? “ Although the actuaries were able to announce £30,000,000 surplus at the fourth valuation, 1 ! am convinced that the effect of nation-wide under-feeding and accidents on the road will lead to an early and embarrassing position.” Practically nothing had been done,to combat the terrible effects of rheumatism in Great Britain, declared Mr J. Henderson, M.P., presiding at the meeting. “As a nation,” he said, “ we are callously and shamefully indifferent to the serious inroads rheumatism is making on the health of our people. “ Hundreds of thousands of pounds can be spent on research work for the discovery of methods to destroy life, but only a few thousands can be found to enable the medical profession to discover effective means of combating rheumatism. “There is not a single hospital or spa owned by the State for remedying this'desperate-malady.” ’ . **. * « 30 YEARS IN UNION. . Miss Elizabeth Banbury, of Leicester, is the woman with the best record of trade union work during the past year. She has won the gold badge presented annually by tho General Council of the Trades Union Congress, For 30 years sbe has been a member of the Leicester Hosjery Union and an executive members for 17 years. Largely through her efforts the firm ,-.u which she works gives facilities for the collection of union contributions. She has often taken part in deputations to the employers on behalf of, her memMiss Banbury is a member of the Leicester Trades Council, of the Court of Referees, and is also a trustee ot the national health insurance section of her union. . ■ ' From a sum given by Miss Gertrude Tuckwcll ■ a second gold badge will be awarded to the runner-mp, Miss Barbara Bates, of Manchester, a member of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers • • • MINISTRY WANTED FOR SHIPS. Abolition of the Mercantile Marine Department of the Board of Trade was demanded by the annual conference of the National Union of Seamen, which was continued : in Loudon recently. As. a substitute of the department the conference asked for a Ministry of Shipping, or a .mercantile marine dopartment with a Minister directly responsible to Parliament. Among the grounds on which the demand was based was that- the Mercantile Marine Department of the Board of Trade bad outlived its usefulness. “ In its present form it cannot tackle the problems or carry out the duties imposed'upon it by the Merchant Shipping Acts,” the resolution added. ime resolution declared that the department had failed to enforce existing regulations' for the safety and protection of ships and seamen and to implement the Merchant Shipping Act in its intention to safeguard the lives and welfare of seamen and the shipping industry generally. It had also failed to accept the onus of promoting legislation or regulations called for by the findings of the courts of inquiry presided over by Lord Merrivalc. Failure to implement the report of the Advisory Committee to tho Board of Trade with reference to the minimum safety requirements for deck manning in British ships was another complaint against tho department. One argument brought out in the debtae was that several other countries have a Minister of Shipping. It was announced during the conference that a big campaign is to be started to organise catering staffs, particularly in trie large liners.