TRADE UNION CONGRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 242, 13 October 1925, Page 10

TRADE UNION CONGRESS.

CHECK TO EXTREMISTS.

MR. CLYNES—HIS FEARS.

THE ONE BIG UNION MOVEMENT.

(From Our Own correspondent.)

LONDON, September 9. With strikes at sea and on shore, the proceedings of the Trade Union Congress now in seesion at Scarborough take on a special interest, the more so since the T.U.C. president this year is a leftwinger, of the school of Mr. A. J. Cook, who led the coal miners in the recent big struggle, a gentleman who celebrated suuecess by speeches of a truculent nature.

The success of the miners was due to wide-spread support by other unions, added to the inherent justice of their cause. This success has, of course, lent impetus to a movement which has long been known to exist for some means by which strikes by individual unions may always be backed up by the whole T.U. movement.

Writing before the Congress of a scheme projected by leading trade unions to promote a Workers' Alliance, the "New Statesman" said: —

"It is not likely in any case that the Alliance scheme will have a smooth passage,- for it contemplates a drastic and unaccustomed interference with the autonomy of the constituent unions. But even if it were now quietly dropped it would have served one of the main purposes for which it was put forward, by strengthening the demand that the Trades Union Congress shall assume a more decisive role in the co-ordination of the activities of its affiliated bodies. Whether or not the 'Alliance' is the chosen instrument, the trades unions certainly mean in the near future to create some central organisation capable of assuming the control of any big dispute deemed to involve a question of trade union principle." The Congress has now met, and, after fiery speeches and a scene between Mr. Cook and Mr. Thomas, ended in compromise.

The proposal, which obtained considerable support, was pretty comprehensive, and demanded that the council should be given power to- levy all affiliated members and to "call for a stoppage of work by an affiliated organisation or part thereof to assist a union defending a vital trade union principle, and also have powers to arrange with the Co-operative Wholesale Society to make provision for ithe distribution of food, etc., in the event of a strike or other action calling for same." An amendment, practically a direct negative, brought Mr. Cook to his feet. He declared vehemently that the time had passed when one union could settle a dispute by itself. Neither could an agreement be negotiated under modern conditions without affecting other unions.

The reason why the general council was successful in the mining dispute was thac the Miners' Federation went to it before the crisis became acute. If a union refused to do this the council was powerless at present. Mr. Thomas was the protagonist of the status quo. He asserted that the delegates had no authority to give the proposed power to the general council, and that no sentiment- or claptrap would get ver the fact that the hands of the council could not be strengthened unless it was certain that it had rank and file authority for its actions.

He agreed with all that Mr. Gook had said about power, but common sense was sometimes as necessary as power. In the mining dispute the general council had a united movement behind it, and it did its work well because of that. If the members of the council wanted more power they were the people to ask for it.

Mr. Thomas' view was that the magnificent response to the appeal of the council in the mining dispute was due to. the feeling in the other unions that they i could not stand aside and see the owners , terms imposed on the miners. "That response will always be forthcoming at the right time," he added, "and, therefore, do not try to build on a foundation that is not solid at the bottom."

Mr. Thomas was followed by Mr* Clynes, whose contribution was, to say the least, unlooked for in that arena. He declared that he had no fear of the capitalist class. "The only class I fear," he said, "is our own."

It is significant that the compromise to refer the question back to the •executive council was proposed by Mr Ernest Bevin although he was in favour of the original motion. "The movement is undoubtedly at the parting of the ways," he said, "and some i of us want to keep it united." ... He suggested that the impulse must .come from the workers rather than from the general council, basing this argument on the fact that some of the /big unions, notably the old dockers' organisation, had originated in upheavals ■of unorganised workers. . "In the mines dispute they had an example of solidarity in a popular cause, but what would be the position of a general council possessed of greater powers in a highly unpopular conflict and in face of a powerful adverse Press campaign ?

There was undoubtedly in the movement a developed feeling for unification, but he. was against the exercise of pressure on those who might not wish to go so far as, for instance, the unions taking part in the Quadruple Alliance movement.

The struggle therefore, towards the one big union will still go on. Will its pace grow? The next six months will be one in which the miners and the owners will be at grips more or less, continuously providing opportunities of exacerbation. It is difficult even now to assess the strength of the Big Strike party. The "Daily News" describes yesterday's Congress as "a by no means negligible move to the left," a move "on a slippery slope." It goes on to Bay:

"What ie doubtful is whether the rank and file of trade 'unionists realise how far the two projects, one for elevating the council to a position of supreme authority and the other for shedding the 'politicals' may in the end carry them.

"The apostles of the 'Minority' movement are well pleased with both propositions, for they regard them justly as the logical application of their destructive doctrine. The conclusion to which they both lead is the dethronement ' !!•»? titutional politics and the subBmution of direct industrial action to' pScelveffi ends - Uia eaß y to of the n e w a mp S e H COmp l! te e Moitation LaW So"!l hod would red ™e even a to futility, and mentaW eovJf^ , * make aII P*- arlifarce. The ««.-!"* a "Wingless to ltlOn f *> m this phase resulting e t arv n a t.^ onomi calthao a , with probabl? St atl °l nd W0 « ld ■ W sure and .Mc would be mad" JZ * h i fc foment >did not end, & difficult if it of Lenin' who had* J™? hl \ foll °wers even for Lenin to \ tand ™*fit