Industrial Union Strikes.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 31, 6 October 1911, Page 6

Industrial Union Strikes.

m By A. ELS BURY, in his pamphlet. The Industrial Union has had tha advantage of seeing the mistakes of the Trade Unions, and Avill take oarei to avoid them.; With Industrial Unity almost all the things which hindered the success of Trade -Union strikes will be sAvept aAvay. .But the Industrial Unionists have .a/ theory .of • strikes Avhich is quite opposed to that of Trade Unionism. The Trade Unionist knows but one form of strike, namely, to leave th© Avorkshop and to stay out until his demands, or something approaching them, are acceded to. His theory is that by so doing, the profit made on his labor Avill be lost, and his employer Avill get tired of losing it. Needless to say, his employer, knowing what action tho. striker is certain to take, foroAvarned by lengthy notices, makes arrangement for blacklegs or for the transference of- his Avork,to unaffected quarters. , . , '•: !, * The Industrial Unionist, • avoiding the mistakes of the past, avoids this also. It is the tlvwj of the Industrialist to lay the burdens of contests as much as possible on the shoulders of the employing class. All his energies are directed to this purpose. Leaving tlie factory, alloAvs the employer to fill it Avith neAV hands if he thinks so fit, and to carry on production Avithout the; aid of the strikers. The Industrial Union will keep inside the workshop as long as is possible, for by so doing fresh hands are prevented from working. Rather than go to certain defeat, the Industrial Union Avill remain on bad conditions, but their efforts will then be all directed to further organisa-, tion' until the outlook slioavs better prospects of success. The Industrial Union will not be con- . cerned about being "officially recognis-" l - ed" by the employers, believing as it does that, if the union is poAverful enough, it oan enforce its demands. aiCm knowledgment or otherwise. union is not poAverful enough all the acknoAvledgment in the. world will not make it so. . There are other methods of striking beside coming out of the shop. . The Italian railway workers won a strike against, the State railways simply by putting all rules into force. Each minute rule Avas rigidly enforced, and the result Avas that the entire system was paralysed. The- rules 'of many other bodies, if enforced in detail, has the result of stopping the system. This kind of. strike is called PASSIVE ACTION, and is becoming extensively used on the Continent. , The principle of sabotage or "ca' canny" as;it is called in England, if AA'orked iv a systematic manner, has usually the effect desired. These and other kinds of strikes will be undertaken, the main object being to carry on the strike inside the Avorkshop. , . Notice to strikej it is scarcely necessary to state, Avill be of .the shortest possible duration, sufficient only to give the employer time to accede to the Avorkers' requests. Such is the difference betAvecn craft and industrial' strikes. ; A fuller dos6ription of the various methods of striking can be found in W. E. Trautman's ""Industrial Unionism.,. Means, and Methods."