CANTERBURY FREEZING AND RELATED TRADES INDUSTRIAL UNION OF WORKERS

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27614, 22 March 1955, Page 17

CANTERBURY FREEZING AND RELATED TRADES INDUSTRIAL UNION OF WORKERS

Election Of Canterbury District Officers

An Open Letter to Members of the Canterbury Freezing and Related Trades Union:— Prior to the present pre-election campaign our Executive decided (a) that Messrs Gates and Kilpatrick, President and Secretary respectively, and their rival candidates, Messrs Arnst and Cooke respectively, visit each Branch together. (b) that each candidate be allowed 15 minutes to address members, making a total of one hour for all four candidates. (c) that members be limited to questions addressed to each candidate after his own address. Obviously this time - limitation favoured the present officers, since 15 minutes were entirely inadequate to enable Messrs Arnst and Cooke critically to traverse the administrative actions of Messrs Gates and Kilpatrick, and the dictatorship which has long obvious to vigilant members of the Union and to outline an alternative, constructive blUe-print embracing both organisation and policy. The result is that the pre-election campaign has been little better than an exhibition of slanging one another. Comparatively recent disputes and their after-effects have absorbed most of the allotted time. In combating accusations, particularly that of alleged dictatorship exercised by the District Secretary, Mr Kilpatrick enjoyed the considerable advantage of speaking last. Confusion and Frustration In such a conflicting atmosphere members are unable to get a clear picture of who is right and who is wrong. Limited to questioning the rival candidates as they are. members are denied the rights to and opportunities for criticism and now face the elections with a confused outlook. Faced with such arbitrary restrictions, the election is merely confined to the problem of a change of personnel in relation to handling disputes and of more democratic procedure as against the dictatorial attitude and influence of the present District Secretary. Campaign in Related Trades Section is a Screaming Fiasco In meetings of members of the Related Trades Section I am authoritatively informed that all four Candidates, for the most part, visited these factories during the “smoko” adjournment, Ihus, a quarter of an hour was divided among the four candidates —little more than three minutes each. Such meetings emphasise the absurdity of the motion passed at the previous Executive meeting requiring candidates to visit Branches together, imposing the utterly ridiculous restriction of 15 minutes on each speaker, restricting members to questions • only, and thereby denying vitally important rights and opportunities for criticism of policy, administration, and the adverse influence of present District Officers. It must further be emphasised that the Branch Representative responsible for initiating the above motion had no authority nor mandate from his Branch to do so, npr did any other .member of the Executive possess such. mandate, from Ns Branch or Related Trades Section. Managerial and Executive Control In fairness to ther District Officers, members should- realise that the whole background of the Freezing and Related Trades Unions is different from most other unibps. For thfse fcasqhs:— (a) The Freezing industry is a seasonal occupation.

(b) More' than ball of the Freezing workers hyve other means of livelihood

and therefore regard the Freezing and Related Trades as merely part of their livelihood. (c) The present organisational set-up with its form of. constitutional management. its lack of an intelligently informative Union Journal, its meagre reports of Executive minutes sent to each Branch—only two copies being made available—this set-up tend* more and more to negate democrats procedure and to implement Execv tive control. Moreover, since Branch representatives are. generally speaking, not students and in some casea are working six days a week, they **• ill-equipped for controlling a District Secretarv endowed with a domineering or dictatorial inclination. At the meeting of the Pareora Branch on Tuesday, March 15, Mr Kilpatrick made the damning submission that “tHd organisation is hanging by a thread: the only thing holding it up is the state of the labour market." I immediately dial--1 eneed him on the cause and responsibility for this deplorable state of both our Union and the other district Unions embraced in the New Zealand Freezing and Related Trades Association. However, in accordance with the above pre-election campaign resolution, I was immediately sunpressed. In addition. Mr Arnst. as the first speaker, attempted to devote some attention to the major needs of members in the Freezing and Related Trades Industries. On the exDiration of. his time limit I moved an extension of his time'. My motion was seconded, hut the Chairman elected to conform to Exe**utive authority. Thus we were denied the opportunity nf knowine Mr Arnst's views on the following vitally important Union matters:— (a) The problem of one Union in the industry. (b) The vital need to find other means of bridging the gao between the rank and file and officials. Tn this connexion I suggest amending the Rules so that nrovision is made for orovindal conferences of department delegates whose decisions, based on Branch remits, would become mandatory to the Executive functioning between such conferences. (c) The problem cf educating our members in economic history and economics. (d) The need for acquainting them with a vital knowledge of foreign affaire. One other ven' important topic was banned from discussion—the proposed increase in the price of tickets. At present ''ur Union has surplus funds invested to the value of £4OOO. AH past experience demonstrates the futility of exorbitant bank balances. Union officers obsessed with e penchant for bank balances are generally conservative. In 1948 or thereabouts I, as Branch representative, moved that the Union send lecturers on economic history and economics tn Branches during the season. This resolution was earriaH and later endorsed by Brandies. Mr K’inatrick had other notions, however. First, he mentioned a mt of lecturers, everyone of whom was a professional Right Wing trade union apologist for Tory policy. Second, no lecturers were sent to South Canterbury. Hence, Mr Kilpatrick is himself largely responsible for orevaiting mass anathv. Therefore. change in the personnel of both District Secretary and President is highly desirable. In this regard Mr Arnst's Branch is much more progressive in many respects than are other Branches tn the Canterbury district. That tact alone warrants a majority vote favouring him District President, white I. personally, think Mr Cooke merits serious consideration as our future District Secretary. I am. Yours very sincerely, OWEN J. F. McKEE. Pareora, South Canterbury. March 21, 1955. Advt.