Union exemption review attacked

Press, 10 January 1986, Page 1

Union exemption review attacked

was granted the’ exemption, He told-the Uhion Exempt tion’Tribunal thai the Canterbury Cle’aners’ Union Was a • slipporter of a. political party he did not belong to, and whose -ideologies and policies he found repugnant.. The Cleaners and Caretakers’ Federation has said it will challenge the provision. The federation’s secretary, Mr • Pat Kelly, said yesterday the tribunal . opened the door- for anyone who objected to union policy decisions to be exempted.

PA ' Wellington 1 Opposition parties yester-’ • 1 day condemned a suggestion t by the Labour Party presi- ' 1 dent, Ms Margaret Wilson, ; that exemption provisions ] from union membership may have to be reviewed. . Her comments followed the exemption of a cleaner from union membership because his union is a financial supporter of the Labour Party. . ‘ A Christchurch Boys’ . High School part-time cleaner, Mr Peter Oakley,

. Ms Wilson, a law lecturer . at Auckland University, said ' the law covering exemptions from -union membership niigtit have'to be reviewed. Questions raised by . the decision needed to be Cleared, up. At first sight, the decision * . appeared to indicate a serious undermining in the right of unions to involve themselves in political activities, she said. But the National member of Parliament for . Taranaki, Mr Roger Maxwell, said the

Labour Party was panicking, and • was fearful of losing its financial base. “Qbviously there is good ■ reason for the Labour Party to panic if these grounds for . objection gain popularity,” he said. The Labour Party would have to canvass for funds based on its merits, and not by compulsory acquisition of funds from union members who had long been its traditional source of finance. To. suggest legislative changes clearly indicated

the . Government had brought in the compulsory unionism legislation mainly to satisfy the . Labour Party’s desire to have its funding protected, he said. The Democratic Party president, Mr Stefan Lipa, said no-one should be forced to be a member of the Labour Party. “It is a scandal that many union members have been forced to affiliate with Labour, even though they may support another political party,” he said.

The Government should not consider 'any alteration to the exemption.. Ms Wilson told the Press Association from Auckland she had been surprised at reports of the tribunal’s decision. She . had not yet seen the decision, and would need to read • it before deciding whether it was a special case or one which would apply generally. But she said both the Labour Party and the unions had been very care-

ful to ensure the rights, of the individual were, pro.tected. Unions that were financial supporters of the party did not affiliate their total membership, she said, In the cleaners’ case, the union was affiliated to the party through 60 per cent of its membership, who had supported the move, Ms Wilson said the party’s executive would meet later this month. Further report, page 5