Union cuts tie with Labour

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33539, 21 May 1974, Page 3

Union cuts tie with Labour

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, May 20. The decision of the Cool Store Workers’ Union to disaffiliate from the Labour Party is not regarded by the Minister of Labour (Mr Watt) as a matter of great concern.

I “We don’t clap hands .when anybody disaffiliates ifrom the Labour Party,” he said today. I “There are not many of ithem. In Timaru, where it jail started, there are only 10 ‘people concerned. | “Naturally it is not greetled with joy. But 1 am not 1 expecting that responsible organisations will withdraw i merely because they do not ■agree with Government decisions.” I Ask'ed if he implied that (the Cool Store Workers’ iUnion was irresponsible. Mr JWatt replied quickly: “I did not say that.” Mr Watt said he presumed ■the secret ballot returns I would be sent to the Labour Department for scrutiny, and I he wanted to know whether |the pros and cons of the icase were put fairly and I squarely. He added that the Federation of Labour was i confident of resolving the dispute. MINISTER BLAMED ■ The union gave as its reason for disaffiliation the ■attitude of the Government, particularly the Minister of ■Labour (Mr Watt) and the 'Minister of Transport (Sir ' Basil Arthur) to its disputes with the Meat Workers’ Union and the Waterside Workers’ Union. Only one union in the last decade has severed its ties with the party. This was the : Canterbury Drivers’ Union, I which disaffiliated about two | years ago. The Seamen’s Union, [.which lost its affiliation iwith deregistration in 1971, has not applied to rejoin. The Cool Store Workers’ i Union covers an area from : Taranaki to Bluff. Its general ‘secretary (Mr P. J. Mansor) I said today that stop-work ■meetings on the issue had ■ been held in all centres,, the ■last at New Plymouth' on

Isi Friday. The decision to s i disaffiliate was by an overe I whelming majority. Mr Mansor said that the ( f secret ballot had been directit ly influenced by the attitude 0 of the Minister of Transport in the dispute over container packing and handling be- " tween the Timaru branch of p the union and the Waterside ? Workers’ Union. ,t He said the solution to the !_ dispute proposed by Sir Basil Arthur, who had been lasked by Mr Watt to mediate, to Timaru cool 5 1 store workers was that they r ,: should apply for deregistraQ tion and follow this with votes to join the Meat d|Workers’ Union and to pers ■ mit waterside workers to enter cool stores to handle d containers. ■r Mr Mansor said the Tie maru branch of the union d had been particularly incensed by the Minister’s • proposal, which they saw as Sa partisan move supporte ing the campaign by the waterside workers to gain control of off-wharf container depots. Sir Basil e Arthur is the M.P. for Ti- * maru. The union's attitude to continued membership of the Labour Party was also influenced by the threat of 5: deregistration made by the ’ j Minister of Labour when ■direct action was taken .’because of the blacking of a ‘[container of milk powder by ~ watersiders some weeks ago. i. Mr Mansor said the union 0 had noted the subsequent failure of the Minister to i, adopt the same attitude to n other militant unions, par- [, ticularlv the Meat Workers’ Union in its present ban on s’ loading out to cool stores at n Timaru and Bluff. iL Members, he said, were ■). dismayed that the Minister k ; should appear to be support - d ing the direct flouting of a le decision of the Arbitration m Court.