THE WAREHOUSEMEN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1213, 23 August 1911, Page 6

THE WAREHOUSEMEN.

COMPULSORY UNIONISM. MEETING OF THE EMPLOYEES' ASSOCIATION. There is but ono topic of conversation among tho warehouse employees of (he city, and that is the newly-formed union and its demands, which have made a rocket-like- sensation among those affected. "It is safe to say." said a warehouseman yesterday, "Hint the majority of the employees in both soft-goods and hardgoods warehouses are against unionism, and yet they are being dragged willy-nilly into it at the behest of a very small minority of the workers who have constituted themselves a union. "It is not always tho case that employees and employers aro of the same | opinion in respect to tho union, and in this respect the present case is unique. The union is equally unwelcome to the employers and to 90 per cent, of the workers. It is all very well to say that thcro are many warehousemen who favour the idea of union—there are not. There might be a few packers and juniors, who havo been tempted to join by tho wages set out in the demands. As a matter of fact, tho whole of the warehousemen of every soft-goods house in Wellington have signed a petition against the recognition of the union in the matter of a general award. As the meeting on Monday evening showed, there was no objection to packers and storemen having a union of {licit own, but when they sought to include warehousemen they were going a bit too far." A meeting of'the Wellington Employers', Association was hold yesterday afternoon, for the special pui-poso of considering the demands mode by the newly-formed union. It was decided not to, meet the union delegates in conference, but to allow th-a dispute to go lwforo the Conciliation Commissioner, when a case would bo presented against tho demands of the union. At. Monday's meeting of warehousemen held at the Commercial Travellers' Club Mr. B. L. Salmon pointed out,that many little privileges would be lost if they joined the union. Holidays would be lesti and some employees would lose their positions, as the firms affected would have to reduce their staffs. At present the full staff was kept on in dull times, but that could not possibly be under an award. Finns would sdd to their staffs in busy seasons, and would reduce them when things were not so good, which would create a lot of casual work for the least competent. The suggested agreement or demands were not law, but it looked alluring to some of the juniors, who would find out later that tho demands would l:o reduced by a third. The chairman (Mr. Munckton) said ho I was sure that tho view of all of them was kthat present day unionism was very unpalatable. Their freedom would be gone, for they would sell themselves absolutely. They would have no say at all. and they did not want that sort of tiling. Undoubtedly there were grievances, but it was a question of adjustment by those at the -head of affairs. Ratification of tho suggested union was a very remote possibility. If ratified, Gd. a week would be collected from each member. He had no objection to packers and storemen entering a union, but they were different to the assistants. The agitation came mainlv through the former. Tho juniors shoulcl be made acquainted with the true position. Hard knocks would be given without, doubt, as the employers, would bo compelled to take this course. The employees would come to the idea that it would be better to go on as they were at present.. A proposal to set up a deputation to interview the employers re the position of juniors, which was held by some to be unsatisfactory, was withdrawn, and the meeting closcd_ with a hearty vote of thanks to the chairman.