V.—EMPLOYESS AND ARBITRATION.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 75, 16 August 1912, Page 5

V.—EMPLOYESS AND ARBITRATION.

The oni/imsiastic extent to which the ■united employers' organisations of Now Zealand havo becomo upholders of arbitration is eloquently attested by their records of the last several years, or since the New Zealand Federation of Labor was established to further tho application and advocacy of the principles of Industrial Unionism. Auckland and Kaitansaia.

Thc? records of employers' negotiations prove? their prefevnre for arbi(imlkil! as against unionist linking-np 'per fli" nicrlirifl r.i iho Federation of ; r.alifir. SiLjniiifiui- si.';n ! ; In Iln' desire lo enish Hie lA'flerajii<in i!;:> e;ii|i!i>yi>i'-i rel'usefl to treat ! villi it. or i-s represcntnl ivcfi, in the tr-onhle. -fh- AnHcbiid 1 '''-I'l v:t] 7j:i''di'or-i' 1 rouble, (!i.< Kailanliiiners' trouble, to quolo. three ■ special cases.

instinctive chapter in industrial negotiation, but., shortly,, the employers' insistence upon arbitration gained legal stains i'or union minorities and established in Auckland and Kaitangata, as now at Waihi, secessionist unions side by side with long-existent unions. The "divide and conquer' tactics were once again successful. Documentary Evidence. Documentary evidence of organised employers' attitude to the Federation is available in wholesale quantities, per presidential speeches, annual reports, and circulars. Wβ could quote them, but space is limited. In passing, we may mention that in this recital we are endeavoring to be judicially careful, and we, challenge contradiction of any statement of fact recorded. To give one or two samples of employers' antagonism:—here is an excerpt from the last annual report of the Wellington Employers' Association: — "The period unfcr review has proved a very stressful one, owing to the unsettling of workers and working conditions by irresponsible agitators, who being dependent upon their unions, and the contributions of the workers for their livelihood, apparently consider the only means they have of showing justification for their continued employment (in comparative idleness) is to keep alive a ferment' and maintain a continuance of industrial unrest. . . . The. cancellation of the registration of unions has continued largely as a result of the operations of a small body of malcontents and irresponsible. , ? who are leaders of the Now Zealand Federation of Labor. The Federation has taken part'in conferences with employers with the object of settling working conditions, and the arrangements that have been arrived at have been signed in good faith and strictly observed by the employers. Since some of these agreements were entered into employers were astonished to learn that the avowed policy of this Federation is to respect agreements so long as their suit their purpose, but to throw them aside- whenever they prove to be in the way of their programme for the time being." "Private and Confidential." And here is an excerpt containing one of several references to the F.L. which appeared in a "strictly private and confidential" circular sent out in April last by the New Zealand Employers' Association:— "The. aggressiveness and combination of largo sections of workers enrolled under the Revolutionary Socialistic I banner of tho New Zealand Federation of Labor have given the Advisory Board anxious thought, with the result that it/ has been decided to place the issue, fairly before affiliated bodies in the hope that prompt and effective I steps will be taken to place our organisation in a position to be. strong enough to deal with any attacks which may be made upon our members. The position industrially is that, as the Arbitration Court has gone as far as itis pbssible to go in the way of increasing wages and imposing further restriction * onjrtrn i". tr industries, organised Labor is looking for other means by which other concessions can be secured." That immediately preceding excerpt makes known why the employers now want arbitration—"the court has gone as far as it is possible to go in the way of increasing wages. , (Labor Party unions, please read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.) As to the other extract, the terminology applied to the Labor movement is fis worn and as admittedly rotten as Noah's Ark, while the insinuation re agreements—as we shall see—is entirely unsupported by facts and figures. Cold-owners' Ultimatum. And now, to prove how hollow is idle claim that the. Waihi strike is merely a fight between the workers themselves, and thus one in which employers, have no part, let us -jote the nature of tie ultimatum presented by the Gold-mine Owners' Association to the Federation of Labor at an abortive conference between tho parties, held in June last:— "In respect to any agreement, that it bs a condition precedent to any negotiation for a settlement of any existing differences between the members of the Gold-mine Owners' Association and any of its employees, that any organisation of workers with whom an agreement is proposed sTnll h iy the. bedy registered under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act."