TRADE UNIONS IN N.Z.
GROUPING DISCUSSED BY LECTURER ADDRESS TO UNIVERSITY WOMEN "The Press" Special Service WELLINGTON, January 30. “The trade union movement in New Zealand is split into right and left wings, with a centre group whose philosophy is certainly not a compromise between these two, but rather the antithesis of them both ” Mrs W. H. Scott, a member of the Federation of University Women, told the federation to-day. “The right wing is taken to be that group which wishes to place greater and greater power in lhe hands of the State,” said Mrs Scott. “It believes in the nationalisation of industry, though it has not yet formulated any effective means of managing the means of pro- • duction so brought within the power of the State. The followers of this trend tend to be executives, secretaries, and other logical and impatient people whose experience has disillusioned them with democracy. “The left wing we define as that group which believes not in the nationalisation but in the socialisation of industry. It would not appear, how- f ever, that they have made very strenuous attempts to organise worker participation in industry and responsibility In management, without which socialisation would tend towards nationalisation. The left wing follows the theory of dialectic materialism, though they do not necessarily follow the party line as dictated from Moscow. Mrs .Scott defined socialism as im--plying some form of worker partici-' pation in management, while nationalisation placed power in the hands of public servants. "The centre party follows the > Lockean theory of government by checks ai)d balances. It believes in Parliamentary democracy in evolution, and believes that all groups have the right to organise and to pressurise the party in power. “This policy follows no straight and logical path. There is great danger of falling into the Hamlet dilemma, wherein enterprises of great pith and moment ‘are sicklied o’er by the pale cast of thought and lose the name of action.’ “Only a small minority of trade union members attend meetings regularly. The majority of workers do not follow ideologies, but go by the general impressions of each situation as it arises. Providing their conditions are reasonable this favours the Lockean system of checks and balances.’
Compulsory Unionism “The problems arising from compulsory unionism derive from the resentment of the compelled workers. There is also an increase in the power of the paid secretary who no longer has to go out into the highways and byways to persuade the worker. “On the other hand it is felt that it is not fair for the non-unionist to reap where the unionist has sown, as he does from Lis increased wages. There is also the problem of the levy for political purposes which a majority may enforce. u The organisational problem lies in the fact that the unions supported by the Government lack certain internal vitality. They have almost no social activity; they have no educational policy (except through the W.E.A. which they did not create); they do not offer scholarships to study abroad those problems of factory administration and welfare which no one else seems to interest themselves in; they have not advanced very far in workerparticipation in management. “The unions which do not require Government support are much more active and democratic. In the railway workshops, for instance, real advances are being made towards worker participation in management through the workshops committees. “Unfortunately, however, the chance for development in this direction in other fields which was presented by the war-time emeigency was not fully appreciated.
‘‘The Industrial Emergency Council, 193.9-1945. was the first body in New Zealand with the explicit purpose of co-ooerating to overcome common problems. That it was disbanded in 1945 shows that the union movement has not reached the stage in its history xyhen it seriously considers cooperation with employers. The employers are in the same position.”
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26026, 1 February 1950, Page 4
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643TRADE UNIONS IN N.Z. Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26026, 1 February 1950, Page 4
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