REDUCTION IN WAGES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 309, 30 December 1922, Page 3

REDUCTION IN WAGES.

THE ALLIANCE BALLOT. IMPORTANT QUESTION TO • AFFILIATED UNIONS. > BALLOT ON. CEASE WORK. : The Alliance of Labour will in the . course of a few days take a ballot of all members of affiliated organisations on the question of ceasing work as a protest against wages reductions, save the "New Zealand Times." The ballot papers have I been printed, but have not yet been diei tributed. The question which each worker is asked to answer, either in the affirmative or the negative, is: "Do you favour j affiliated organisations ceasing work as a I protest against reduction in wagea?" I Ballot papers are returnable to secretaries of local unions by January 15. ALLIANCE MEMBERSHIP. Although it had never been definitely ! stated, it is believed that the numerical strength of the Alliance of Labour represents a membership of approximately 50,000. The alliance is organised , along the lines of industry, and no purely ! craft union may become affiliated, the i constitution providing that all workers !in the different branches of any particular industry must first of all be linked up in one federation before they become members of the alliance. For instance, one important department of the alliance is that of which comprises the unions in the Transport Workers' Federation, namely, the Amalgamated Society of P?.ilway Servants, drivers, seamen, and tnimwaymen. The industrial organisations affiliated with the Alliance of Labour are the waterside workers, seamen, the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, coalminers, drivers, tramwaymen, freezing workers, storemen, and amalgamated engineering workers. All of these workers will be asked to vote on the question of ceasing work. BALLOT TO GUIDE EXECUTIVE. Whether a general stoppage will take place in January, or at some later date, will have to be decided by the executive of the alliance, but at the moment it is stated that the ballot is being taken really for the purpose of enabling the executive to form some idea of the backing it would receive in the event of a cessation of work throughout the country being ordered. A "Times" reporter was informed that it was possible that the result of the ballot would not be made known immediately after the ballot closed, and that no stoppage of work might be ordered unless further reductions in wages took place. "We want to get an expression of opinion from the members of the affiliated : organisations," stated the informant. ' "We are tired of these reductions in wages, and we are not going to have any more of them. There may not be anything in the way of a strike unless more reductions take place." A SEPARATE BALLOT. The ballot' about to be taken has no connection with the ballot which is now proceeding amongst the waterside workers on the question of accepting or rejecting the award of the Arbitration Court. . nor has it anything to do with the seamen's trouble. As a matter of fact, it is stated, members of the alliance some , I weeks ago offered to throw in the weight , of their respective organisations on the , side of the seamen, but the Seamen's , I Union officials refused the proffered aid, ,' stating that they wished the alliance cxc- : cutive to keep the members of all organ- • I isations at work. ' I "The watersidera did stop work at one I or two places," stated a member of the i alliance executive, "but they were ordered ■ back to work by their own federation. ; I The seamen's trouble would have been ' over long ago had we all come out."