COMPULSORY UNIONISM.
TO TUB EDITOR.
'Sir, —At the 1-eceut meeting of the Ouu-edin-St. Kilda Sub-zone Patriotic Committee a plea was put forward by Mr Herbert that larger representation of the workers should be on the administrative side of the movement. Mr Herbert made the statement that some 20,000 members were in the trade union movement. That statement was incomplete and misleading. The correction should read that 20,000 conscripted members compose the local trade union movement. There is no doubt at all about the zeal and patriotism of the 20,000, but they did not make has praiseworthy effort as trade unionists. They worked and strove to uphold freedom and liberty in New Zealand, and because their political and industrial freedom has been filched from them, nine out of ten of these willing workers would have nothing whatever to do with the unions as at present run by the bosses. Trade unionism is a splendid thing, and worthy of the utmost support, but the unions in New Zealand are unions only in name. They have no appeal for the decent working man to join them voluntarily; and so, to keep a political party in power, “ Gestapo ” methods are used. These unions are run according to the rules of the bosses, who scorn the constitution under which they shelter, and never lose an opportunity of imposing their will upon the workers. It is desirable that the best available admimstratives should control these patriotic movements, whether workers or anything else, but the political dement should not be allowed to influence them in any way. - 1 am ’ etC " A. Victim. August 26.
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Evening Star, Issue 24283, 26 August 1942, Page 4
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267COMPULSORY UNIONISM. Evening Star, Issue 24283, 26 August 1942, Page 4
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