Govt will review compulsory trade union membership

Press, 28 June 1983, Page 2

Govt will review compulsory trade union membership

PA Wellington The foundation of the New Zealand trade union movement, compulsory membership, would be seriously reviewed by the Government in the next few weeks, said the Minister of Labour, Mr Bolger, yesterday. Mr Bolger made his comment as tripartite wage talks resumed in Wellington and on his return from chairing the International Labour Organisation conference in Geneva, where the president of the Federation of Labour, Mr W. J. Knox, reportedly refused to talk to him. The Minister asserted that the federation was now “out of line” with average New Zealanders and trade unionists and said it should be concerned about the “viability of its present structure.” He said he was bringing together a package of ideas on trade unionism which he would discuss with his Government colleagues. They would centre on the unqualified preference (compulsory membership) clause and related matters. He told journalists, “Over the last few months I have questioned whether New Zealand has benefited from 50 years of providing the trade unions with a guaranteed membership and guaranteed income. “Nothing over the last

weeks has added to my belief that we have gained anything from it... in fact, the reverse. The whole question has to be looked at very seriously.” Mr Bolger said the approach adopted by Mr Knox in Geneva “does nothing to satisfy me that we have a trade union movement that is led in a manner that I have seen other trade union movements led overseas.” “I have had no difficulty talking to any other trade union leader in the world, of any political persuasion.” The F.O.L. secretary, Mr K. G. Douglas, said at the week-end that his organisation’s campaign against the wage freeze had switched its emphasis from the need for an immediate $2O wage increase to a fight for the survival of trade unionism.

Mr Douglas said that repeated statements by the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, had made it clear there would be no return to pre-freeze wage bargaining when the wage and price freeze was finally lifted next year. “If trade unions are not going to be allowed to bargain with their employers we have got to ask ourselves what have we got trade unions for,” he said. “We have got to front up to the situation that the Prime Minister believes we do not need trade unions any more,” Mr Douglas said. Mr Bolger denied, in answer to a question, that his comments about a review of the unqualified preference clause, while tripartite talks were resuming, meant that the Government was “leaning on” unions. “But they are clearly out of line on the $2O a week campaign and in attacking a New Zealand Minister standing for an international position (the F.O.L. opposed Mr Bolger’s 1.L.0. chairmanship). Employer, union, and Government representatives met in Wellington yesterday on long-term, wage-fixing proposals. Two committees have been set up by the three groups — one to investigate ways to move out of the freeze and the other to look at longer-term aspects.