Parliamentary Levies

Maoriland Worker, Volume I, Issue 8, 20 April 1911, Page 9

Parliamentary Levies

The Osborne .Decision

We print the following letter which is being sent by the Secretary of the "Trade Union Defence League" (who also happens to be a lecturer for the Anti-Socialist Union) to the affiliated Unions of the Labour Party in the Old Country. We make no comment upon it beyond this : that it shows how carefully the opponents of Trade Unionism are organising their forces and that it reveals the inspiration of the injunctions which are being taken against Unions at the present time : — As you doubtless know, many injunctions have been obtained against Trade Unions preventing either the collection of compulsory levies or the application of any of the funds of the Union to and for political purposes. It may be perhaps within your knowledge also that a large number of actions in the same direction are pending. In each of these actions costs have been given against the society. We are not unfriendly towards Trade Unions, in fact, the reverse. Our object is to prevent the misapplication of Trade Union Funds and to divorce party politics from Trade Unions. We are therefore perfectly willing to assist any Union to avoid the very heavy costs which are entailed in each of these actions. We have a member of your Union who is desirous of becoming plaintiff against you, and there is no doubt of what the tfinal result of such action must be. We, however, felt that if you are Avilling to give an undertaking which could be enforced at law, that you will discontinue all compulsory levy or contribution from your Trade Union Funds, and that you will not spend any of the society's money in making a voluntary collection or enter any voluntary contributions in the society's books, or books of the members, we think that the complaining member would be satisfied, and the needless expense saved you. We simply want what can be obtained at law (in which case you will pay the whole of the costs of both sides), but without the costs of such proceedings to yourself. The following Societies have been restrained from engaging in political action: —A. S. Railway Servants, London Society of Compositors, A. 8. Engineers, Lancashire and Cheshire Miners, North Wales Miners, South Wales Miners, Derbyshire Miners, Nottingham Miners, Typographical Association, Devonport Government Labourers, United Patternmakers, Operative Stonemasons, Northern Counties Weavers. Despite our dissatisfaction with th© performance of the Labour Party so far, it is to be hoped that every Union against which an injunction is being taken will fight manfully for the rights and liberties of Trade Unionism and will insist upon their complaining members taking them to Court.