POWER WORKS STRIKE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14638, 6 April 1948, Page 6

POWER WORKS STRIKE

ATTITUDE OF MEN Statement Ey Union Executive Principle Involved In Dispute (P.A.) Mangakino, April 5. The visit of the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, and the Minister of Works, the Kon. R. Semple, to Mangakino to address a public meeting had had the effect ot consolidating the men in support of the strike and of the principle involved, said the executive of the local branch of the New Zealand Workers' Union in a statement this afternoon. The statement was issued after the executive had met for two and ahalf" hours. The public meeting held yesterday by the local branch of the Labour Party and addressed by Mr Fraser and Mr Semple had nothing whatever to do with the strike, stated the executive. Many members of the union did not attend this meeting, knowing that it could not affect the outcome in any way. "The disoute and stoppage were provoked by the engineers in an autocratic attempt to interfere 'in the fundamental democratic rights of the workers to choose their own delegates, regardless of race, religion, colour or creed/' adds the statement. "That is a fundamental principle of the trade union movement." The strike was not one about which there had been a division on left wing versus right wing policy in the union, stated the executive. The principle was supported by all trade unionists. The minority who had opposed the strike had been complimented by officials of the Federation of Labour on the loyal way in which they had carried out a majority decision. All the 200.000 trade unionists throughout New Zealand supported" the Mangakino rtrikers. No amount of "Red baiting" would confuse the workers on such a clear-cut issue. "The New Zealand public should know that four or five engineers, in an attempt to impose an auto-'' cratic dictatorship alien to all the traditions cf the New Zealand trade union movement, were responsible for holding up a work of national importance," continued the statement. "The solution was clear arid unmistakable. We therefore supported a tribunal and immediate resumption of work, together with our elected secretary. "For three months we explored every other constitutional channel. The real truth is that a few engineers are holding the Government and people to ransom. It is up to the Government to take suitable action against the few men responsible.