The Press THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1962. Railway Strike

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29998, 6 December 1962, Page 16

The Press THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1962. Railway Strike

The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, with the encouragement of the Federation of Labour, has gone the wrong way about seeking redress for its grievance, real or imaginary, with a strike that will cause loss and inconvenience to the public. Obviously the Government could not submit to intimidation of this kind, or it would forfeit the right to govern. The folly of the course taken by the A.S.R.S is shown by the attitude of other unions, well expressed by Mr A. C. Munro, president of the Engine-drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners’ Association: “ We think “ that something much more * serious is needed before “ we can contemplate such “ a disruption as this ”. The decision to strike was not altogether unexpected after the inflammatory speech at Christchurch by the president of the Federation of Labour (Mr F. P. Walsh); but it was ill-considered.

It makes sense only if the federation feared that the result of the ruling rates survey next month would be so satisfactory to railwaymen and others that they might not continue their support for Mr Walsh in his complicated wage policy. The federation could hardly expect to get another general wage order before the next election. Then, if the present Government were as unpopular as the service organisations say, there would be a change—unless State servants in the meantime alienated other sections of the community. And that is exactly what this senseless strike is likely to do. It will hurt those who are not involved in the dispute; and they can hardly be expected to take a friendly view of those responsible : The waterfront strike of * 1951 showed plainly that; the people of New Zealand are not prepared to sacri- j fice the processes of democracy for rule by trade union flat.