Man strongly opposed compulsory unionism

Press, 8 May 1986, Page 35

Man strongly opposed compulsory unionism

PA Wellington An incident involving a crane driver who stopped work for smoko leaving riggers marooned on a steel beam gave Mr John van Heeswyck a bad impression of unions when he first came to New Zealand. He strongly opposed compulsory unionism and unions’ methods, he told the Union Membership Exemption Tribunal. The tribunal, in a decision just released, exempted him from union membership, saying it was satisfied he had a deeply held personal conviction and membership would conflict with his principles. “A ‘formative experience’ affecting Mr van Heeswyck’s opinion of unions had occurred while he was working on the Roxburgh dam site when he first came to New Zealand,” the tribunal said.

A crane driver had stopped work when the whistle blew for smoko, leaving a number of riggers marooned on a steel beam suspended from the jib of the crane. For this the driver had been dismissed. The union had called the workforce out on a strike which had lasted six weeks and had ended only when a secret ballot had finally been held. Mr van Heeswyck, a fitter and turner employed by New Zealand Insulators, had his application for exemption heard in Timaru. He told the tribunal he was a person of independent temperament who was unwilling to be under an obligation to unions or anyone else. As an orphan, he had been brought up in an institution in the Netherlands during the war. He had emigrated to New Zealand and had suc-

ceeded through his own hard work without help from anyone. Mr van Heeswyck felt unions should negotiate rather than call workers out on strike. Neither they nor the employers were willing to give and take. The tribunal said of Mr van Heeswyck: “His general demeanour and the impression we found of his character leave us in no doubt that he has a deeply held personal conviction on that matter, and for that reason union membership would conflict with his principles.” “As always we make this finding without in any way ourselves endorsing the picture of unions as painted by Mr van Heeswyck.” The tribunal consisted of Mrs A. B. QuentinBaxter (chairman), the Rev A. H. MacLeod, and Mr I. R. Powell.