Australian Letter Compulsory Unionism To Be Abolished

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29024, 13 October 1959, Page 12

Australian Letter Compulsory Unionism To Be Abolished

{Australian Correspondent. W.Z.P.AJ

SYDNEY, October 12. Having failed after six years to unionise every worker in New South Wales by compulsion, the Cahill Labour Government now intends to drop the idea —and instead unionise the employer. This is a liberal interpretation of proposed amendments to the Industrial Arbitration Act which the Government will introduce by Christmas. The amendments provide for “absolute preference” to unionists in employment, and protection for unionists over non-unionists in dismissals. Amendments made to the act in 1953, making membership of a union compulsory, will now be deleted. In other words, workers will no longer be required by law to join a union, but the employer must give absolute preference to those who do, and must see that they are the last to be sacked, should there have to be dismissals.

The Government’s proposals have met with a mixed reception among trade unions, and with hostility from the Opposition and employer organisations. Critics of the amendmerits say they will put a powerful economic weapon in the hands of a Labour Government by guaranteeing that its supporters shall be compulsorily employed—even by its political rivals. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr R. W. Askin) described the proposals as “blackmail.” He said it was a glaring instance that men and women should be forced to join a union to preserve the right to earn a living.

Mr Askin said that weight of public opinion had caused the Government to abandon its “antiBritish compulsory legislation,” but the Government now proposed to achieve precisely the same purpose by a slick subterfuge. Union officials have stated they have no idea how the new approach to compulsory unionism will work out. A few unions, notably the Clerks’ Union, which covers only about one-fifth of the clerical work force, fear that the scheme will not work out at all. Other amendments to the Industrial Arbitration _ Act announced by the Premier include: A provision to make all strikes legal if unions give 14 days’ notice to the Minister for Labour and Industry. The easing of penalties for illegal strikes.

Removal of restrictions on the rights of unions to contribute money to political parties to which they are affiliated.

Renewed pressure is being exerted on the Federal Government to inquire into the highly controversial issue of telephone tapping in Australia. This follows new allegations in the Senate by Senator J. P. Ormonde, of New South Wales. Senator Ormonde alleged that private telephone conversations between himself and the Leader of the Opposition (Dr. H. V. Evatt) were tapped. Six months ago, the Prime Minister (Mr Menzies) said he would discuss the question with Cabinet as soon as possible. Since then, he has given no indication that such a discussion has taken place, and during that period there have been repeated claims by members of Parliament that telephone tapping continues on the grounds of security. In last week’s claims, Senator Ormonde said: “I have only to lift the receiver to make a call to my leader and a third man immediately appears on the line. “The situation is so ridiculous that I have to tell Dr. Evatt to hang up and I will ring him back later on another telephone. “It is outrageous that a Senator

has to be subjected to this, while a starting-price bookmaker is guaranteed complete secrecy by the Postmaster-General to carry on his illegal business. * “My experience is the experience of many members of the Labour movement whose telephones are no longer their private possession." $ sjs # Two of Sydney’s main streets —Pitt and Castlereagh—will become a shopping centre if a proposed police traffic plan for the city is adopted. Buses and normal through traffic will be banned from the shopping centre, which will extend for a length of eight blocks. Only commercial vehicles and shoppers’ cars will be permitted in the area. The police plan, described as the most revolutionary in Sydney’s traffic history, will change century-old habits. City streets will become almost entirely oneway thoroughfares. Traffic police have worked on the plan for more than a year, and an expert technical committee is now discussing it. Police believe the plan will solve the city’s mounting traffic problems. It closely follows the traffic system of New York.

City council authorities, who have the final say in adopting or rejecting the police plan, said that changes in the direction of traffic flow in the main streets would have widespread effects on trade.

They are supported in this view by businessmen, who oppose the plan. Retail trade spokesmen said the plan would turn Sydney’s busy shopping centre into a dead ‘‘asphalt desert.” They said the plan would leave pedestrians ‘‘out in the cold,” and would cause another sharp drop in the number of passengers carried by Government transport. Buses and trams at present carry about one million passengers a day in the city areamost of them on short trips.

All forecasts by political correspondents have been that the New South Wales Legislative Council, the State’s Upper House, will not be abolished. The Premier (Mr Cahill), however, has no doubts on the matter. Speaking at a Trades Hall dinner, the Premier said the Labour Party had decided that the Upper House should go, and he would carry out the decision. The State Cabinet last July authorised the preparation of legislation for a referendum on the abolition of the Legislative Council. This legislation is to be introduced in the present session of Parliament. The Liberal Party Opposition has announced its support of the referendum. The Country Party, which is allied with the Liberal Party, is completely opposed to the abolition measures, and this week three Liberal members of the Legislative Council, plus one independent member, announced that they had joined the Country Party. * * # Australia’s next census will be taken in June, 1961, when the population is expected to be about 10.500,000. Mr Menzies, who announced the census, said most countries would take their census in 1961. Australia’s first post-war census was in 1947, when the population was 7,600,000. It had risen to 9 million by the 1954 census. Student Exchange.— The Federation of Asian and Western Pacific Contractors’ Associations today approved in principle proposals for an exchange of student technicians between Australia, New Zealand and Asia.—Melbourne, October 10.