DUNEDIN UNION MEETS

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25739, 26 February 1949, Page 6

DUNEDIN UNION MEETS

“ GO-SLOW POLICY IMMORAL ” NO MONEY TO BE SENT TO AUCKLAND (P.A.) DUNEDIN, February 25. A special meeting of the Otago Carpenters, Joiners’, and Joiners’ Machinists' Union, attended by 63 members in Dunedin to-night, decided not to make a contribution towards assisting the Auckland carpenters who have been locked out. A recommendation from the executive that £5O be given was defeated by 37 votes to 26 in a secret ballot, and an amendment that £2OO be given was defeated by the same number of votes. A proposal that members of the union, which numbers.B7o, should be individually circularised for voluntary contributions towards the assistance of the Auckland carpenters was carried by 32 votes to 27. There were two informal votes. Before the meeting began an almost unanimous decision to admit the press was made. The secretary (Mr Samuel Ikin). addressing the meeting, said that injury to one was injury to all in the trade union movement. One speaker said they had to decide whether the Auckland men were worthy of support. His opinion of the go-slow method of getting justice for the worker was that it was immoral and illegal. What the Auckland union was trying for was probably quite just, but their methods were not right. It was stated that the Auckland carpenters had been led by officials in their own organisation. Officials in the Auckland branch were practically officials of the New Zealand union. The dispute should be between the Arbitration Court and the union, not between employers and the union. “If we listen to the people up north.” another speaker said, “we will not have the Arbitration Court for long, and we want to retain it. Those up north are out to smash the Arbitration Court, and the union’s policy of go slow is not only immoral but worse. Why don’t they strike and be done with it?” One member said that any little help given to the Auckland carpenters at the moment would be justified, although most of the Dunedin unionists would not agree with their methods.