UNION FINED £60

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 276, 18 May 1912, Page 5

UNION FINED £6O

INSTIGATING A STRIKE. SEQUEL TO AUCKLAND DRAINAGE TROUBLE. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, May 16. The Arbitration Court fined the Builders' and Contractors' General Laborers' Industrial Union £6O and costs for instigating, inciting and orderdering a strike of members of the union engaged on the drainage works in Auckland city, which .arose over an objection to sub-contracting. Mr. Justice Sim said this was a strike by these workers, who appeared to have been instigated by the secretary without the express authority of the union or of the committee of management. That committee had, however, ratified and adopted his action shortly afterwards. On October 26th an informal meeting of members of the union discussed the strike and appointed pickets. On October 27th. a general meeting of members w»s held in accordance. with a newspaper advertisement, following which had been published l a notice (signed by the secretary), that the General Laborers' Union had. declared a strike. It was clear thai at this meeting all that had been done in connection with the strike was approved. The union must be taken, therefore, to hare adopted and mtifbcl the acts of the secretary and the committee of management, in connection with the strike, and from that date, at any rate, what* ever the position may have been before, the union was guilty of aiding and abetting tlic continuance of an unlawful strike. The judge liefd that the cancellation of registration of a union on November 1, 1011, did not render it impossible for the court to give judgment at that stage against the union, for the penalty proviso of the Act expressly limited the effect of cancellation so as to preserve the obligations of the union in respect of any penalty or liability incurred prior to cancellation. "We hold, therefore," concluded his Honor, "that judgment can be given against the union for a penalty for an offence committed by it on and after October 27, by aiding and abetting the continuation of an unlawful strike."