FORMING A NEW UNION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 48, 25 February 1914, Page 6

FORMING A NEW UNION.

AMONG SOFT GOODS EMPLOYEES. APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION. AND A COUNTER PETITION. A message which was sent to the Registrar of Unions in Wellington this morning, on behalf of the drapere' assistants in Auckland, who are opposed to the formation of the Proposed Softgoods Employees' Union, was to the following effect:— " .

"Meeting held at Trades Han last evening, convened by Mr. A. Rosser, with intention forming union of soft-goods employees was attended by about fifteen persons. Large gathering of ibona fide employees of trade were denied admission. Gathering held meeting of protest against methods adopted, and passed resolutions which have been signed and will be forwarded to you. Another iineeting, called by another individual not connected with the trade, is advertised for to-night. Big majority of drapers' employees request you to defer any application for registration of snch a union as is proposed until the whole facts are fully placed before you." The method adopted of formin<» the. union of so-ftgoods employees was explained by Mr. Rosser thfe morning. Hβ explained that on several occasions recently he had been approached in Wellington to do what he could to have a union of soft goods employees eet*l>lisfoed in Auckland on the same Jinee as have been successfully followed in Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, and Wanganui during the past twelve months. A good many employees in Auckland chiefly among the lower paid men, had interviewed him in the same connection, and asked his resistance in the matter. He accordingly issued circulars to men whose names were supplied to him lor the purpose. The method adopted was entirely constitutional, and the circular catting the meeting was as follows:—

" You are invited to attend a meeting of the employees of the various soft goods • establishments of Auckland, at the Trades' Hall, Hobson Street, on Tuesday evening next, February 24, at 8 o'clock, to form an Industrial Union for workers in the trade. Unions have been formed, and awards obtained in Wellington, Wanganui, Dunedin and Christchureh, and it is desirable that Auckland shall participate in the same benefits enjoyed in these cities, in wihich the minimum wage for male assistants is £2 15/, and females assistants £1 7/6. I have marked this ' Confidential' in your own interests, as I understand there is a movement afoot to call a mass meeting of all in the .trade, <and the higher paid men will have an opportunity of 'being present, to put their foot on the proposal an the interests of the employers. You are at Ivberty to bring any assistants with you that will be in sympathy with the proposal to form a union, and attached please find a form to be filled in by them as a guarantee of good faith."

At the meeting of protcut whioh was held in the Cook Street Hall, Mr G. Anderson was elected chairman and Mr S. Walker was appointed to act as secretary. Those -who attended this meeting had attempted to get into the other meeting, fcu-t had been informed that rt w«e not a mass meeting, but * meeting called by circular in a constitutional manner for a specified purpose as provided for by the 'Act- They adopted the following motion:—"That this meeting of drapery eeeiE'tanfcs e'trongly resenfo ibeing denied admission to a meeting called by a certain individual nci connected with the drapery trade, with the proposed <*bject of forming a union of drapers' employees, and, further, protests asainet the methods used by the said individual, which would result in nothing more or less than a. "packed' meeting; ifarthe.r, that ehould any nieeting be called with the indention *f discussing 4<he formation of a drapers' u-nion, it should be open to all employees of the drapery and allied trades, and that such meeting must he called' by advertisement at eeven daye , notice, and by a bona-ifide- drapers'. aesistAst."