Closed shops ‘will become a reality’

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 5

Closed shops ‘will become a reality’

PA Hamilton Closed shops will be a reality within a year or two, according to an industrial relations lecturer, Mr Raymond Harbridge. He said closed shops appeared to be the logical long-term solution to the voluntary unionism disputes which have flared up since the end of compulsarv unionism last month. Mr Harbridge, a lecturer at Victoria University’s Industrial Relations Centre, said that in the short term the voluntary unionism disputes would continue. Plenty of submissions to the Industrial Law Reform Bill Select Committee indicated that disputes of this type would happen, he said. “Something is going to have to give. It is too early for the Government to recognise it has made a mistake but if union members persist they will get what they want,” Mr Harbridge said.

“There is no Western democracy without closed shops.” Mr Harbridge said he believed de facto closed shops would be established until the arrival of legalised closed shops.

“When a non-unionist tries to start work, people are going to strike. The worker affected will either join the union or find another job." Mr Harbridge said the Labour Department had no intention of prosecuting unions which defied the voluntary unionism legislation. “It is Government policy (not to do so).” The Government had set up the mechanism for the company to prosecute, he said. “But I find it hard to imagine a company making a decision to prosecute. It would not be good industrial relations.” It would also be very difficult for a company to prove that a large number of workers were on strike on any issue. Section 103 of the Industrial Relations Amendment Act makes it an offence for a worker to strike for the purpose of inducing an employer to discriminate on the grounds of a worker’s membership or non-mem-bership of a union. Contravention of this section carries a maximum penalty of $5OOO.