Employer opposition to voluntary unionism

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33654, 2 October 1974, Page 18

Employer opposition to voluntary unionism

The president of the Canterbury Employers’ Association (Mr A. O. Hawkins) yesterday rejected voluntary unionism as advocated by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Muldoon).

Voluntary unionism had not worked out in other parts of the world, said Mr Hawkins. It had favoured militant unions, and had led to the “closed shop” system, under which the union dictated who would be employed. New Zealand’s system of unqualified preference (which means that a man employed in a job covered by a particular award must belong to the relevant union) gave the employer the right to employ any person and gave the individual the right to join a union, said Mr Hawkins. “Unions are democratic institutions which can be controlled by the individual members collectively, although there could be some exceptions.

“If all the members of the union attend a union meeting, then there is no real reason why they cannot impose the conditions and terms they want upon their leaders.” WEAK EMPLOYERS Mr Hawkins, who was addressing the annual meeting of the Employers’ Association, gave a warning of dangers from militant unions in conflict with weak employers. “The militant union tends to seek for and exploit any weakness of employers,” he said. “Militant unions placed in a favourable situation where a few employees can bring pressure to bear on the whole industry obtain rewards which are far beyond the services rendered by these people in comparison with other workers.

“I believe that it is the responsibility of employers to resist unreasonable and unfair demands, and to endeavour to create the situation where militancy does not pay.. “In this country, no employer can make a wage decision whose effects will remain isolated in their own business or industry,” said Mr Hawkins. “Concessions tend inevitably to flow through to all employers and all industry whether the conditions justify them or not.”