THE PRESS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1982. Crunch Pt

Press, 10 December 1982, Page 16

THE PRESS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1982. Crunch Pt

At the eleventh hour, common sense has prevailed and New Zealand has been able to step back from the brink of industrial chaos and the nearest thing to the suspension of democracy that is possible under law. Riggers employed on the maintenance programme at the Marsden Point oil refinery ended their strike and resumed work yesterday afternoon; their colleagues employed on the refinery extensions next door will resume work today. Before a resumption of work could be achieved the Government felt it necessary to threaten a State of Emergency that would vest Draconian powers in the hands of the Executive. The country is grateful that a handful of strikers will not starve it of petrol during the holiday period. Nevertheless, many people will be left wondering why matters had to escalate to such a pitch that the Government spoke of recourse to the tactics used to break the 1951 waterfront strike and the president of the Federation of Labour, Mr W. J. Knox, spoke Of a national strike and being prepared to go to prison. Earlier action by the Government through other channels might have solved the problem sooner. The latest strike at the trouble-plagued refinery was in direct contravention of an undertaking given by the same strikers just five weeks ago that no further stoppages would delay the refinery’s recommissioning. That undertaking was extracted at the end of an earlier stoppage and then only after the Government had applied to the Arbitration Court under the Commerce Act for an order that the men return to work. The application was later withdrawn as unnecessary. The Government would have had the backing of most of the people if, at any time during the last three weeks that the riggers were on strike, a new application had been lodged and pursued with vigour. The challenge that the riggers threw down, and the prospect of the country being driven to its knees, could not be ignored. That the Government adopted the most extreme course open to it had something of the air of taking a sledgehammer to a nut. A State of Emergency with the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, wielding unlimited powers would be alien to most New Zealanders but, in this instance, would probably have been supported by most of them. They have been spared because cool heads prevailed at the five-hour meeting of the Federation

of Labour executive on Wednesday night. The Federation backed away from the earlier inflammatory comments of its president, not in weakness but in wisdom. The dispute had reached the stage where only the Government could win; all others — the strikers, the union movement, and- the people - would lose to some degree. Mr Knox has said several times that the Federation of Labour does not want a confrontation with the Government because that would be playing into Mr Muldoon’s hands. The federation almost fell into the trap. Unless it takes a firmer line with those of its affiliates in vital industries that attempt to hold the country to ransom by strikes, the federation will be in the same dilemma again and again. The union movement has been given clear warning that the Government will not brook repeated disruption in vital industries. This might result in industrial benefits such as a smoother passage for the construction of the large development projects. Nevertheless, the weapon that the Government pulled from its arsenal on this occasion is not one that can be called upon frequently. If the weapon is to be effective, the trade union movement must be convinced that it is more than a threat. Any hint that the Government was merely crying “wolf” would encourage the Federation of Labour to call the Government’s bluff. Public support for a possible State of. Emergency at this time would be greatly influenced by the thought of no petrol over the holiday period, when thousands of New Zealanders will be travelling by car. The Government cannot count on such a felicitious conjunction of time and commodity in future. Nor is a State of Emergency without risk to a Government that holds such a slim majority in the House. Any regulations controlling a State of Emergency must be readopted every 14 days and the present Government has no shortage of members who would have to be convinced that the justification for them was indeed vital. Some political benefit might accrue to the Government from its stand. That would be a direct result of Mr Muldoon’s sense of timing. The Government should not put too much reliance on this however. Some people will consider that the Government should have acted earlier and in a less extreme manner; still others might suspect that the reason the Government did not do so was to create a situation in which it could mount its show of strength, and that it was for political ends all along.