SHIPPING STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 March 1921, Page 12

SHIPPING STRIKE.

‘ WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND THE " STRIKE. THE WATERSIDE TROUBLE. / (Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare League.) On the occasion of the last stoppage of work on the Wellington wharves there were many women who felt angry over the occurrence. One of them whose husband works on the wharf expressed herseif very .strongly to one of our women members. “Here is the position,” she said, “I have three small children and knows 1 have to work. If this strike goes on the children will have to go short. I’m not able to keep lot of us and why should I? Jack, that's my husband, would work but they won’t let him. I wish we women could have a say -in it, there would -be fewer of these strikes if we had.” To-day we are faced with a bigger trouble. It looks as if the boats would be laid up at most ports and if that continues there are going to be thousands of waterside workers out of work. Other industries will suffer and there will be further shortening of supplies all round which will make prices higher for the consumers in various ways. It is the women who have to run the house and make both ends meet, even when •their men folk are not at work, who are going to suffer most. Why should not these women have a say in the question of whether there should be a strike or not? The men ijj, these industries pose as being very advanced and talk in the abstract about “equality between the sexes,” That is fine talk but have they ever allowed their own women folk a vote on the strike question? If the wife has to keep on with her work she should have a voice in the question of whether her husband shall stop work or not. On occasions a lot of single men favour the strike and they either do not realise, or care about the wives and children of their work-mates. who are married. It is nearly time that the women themselves took a hand in the game. They have to suffer the hardship and are more disposed to be careful about matters that affect the home. Whilst it is true that men come out on occasions for a principle that is pound, other strikes are just silly outbursts. The strike' is often engineered by the Union leaders to show theif own power and serve their ambitions. We have heard these present waterside “irritation strikes” held |n scorn by many workers. /Vs yet there has been no good reason given for it. The watersiders are ceasing work for the childish reason that they cannot get all their own way. In justice we have to say that there are many of them who would work in a regular way but are prevented. Other Unions have settled their affairs more sensibly but the Waterside Workers Officers, and some of their followers, seem to be carried away with their own importance for which the rank and file may suffer very severely before it is all over. To the women we make the appeal that it is time they consulted together and decided to make the demand for a secret ballot on the question of whether overtime shall Jje worked or not? and whether the “irritation policy” or “regular working” shall rule. The women should further demand that they be given a Vote in this industrial ballot as they are more concerned, through their children, than the men often are. Bring the equality of the sexes talk to a practical issue—that women have a vote on the industrial question of strike or no strike.