THE PRINTING OFFICE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2218, 3 August 1914, Page 4

THE PRINTING OFFICE

UNION SECEDERS GOVERNMENT COMPULSION SOUGHT ,

A DEFINITE REFUSAL . Somo months ago representatives of the Wellington Typographical Union interviewed the Hon. P. M. B. Fisher, .Minister in Charge of tho Government Printing Office, and asked him to insist that a number of men employed at that establishment who had seceded from the union should resume their membership. This the Minister absolutely declined to do. On Saturday a Typographical Union deputation addressed tho same request to the Eight Hon. W. P. Massey (Prime Minister). Mr. was present.

Mr. Jas. Chapman, president-, of tho Wellington Typographical Unio.il, said that tho matter they wished to bring under jiotico' was the secession of thirteen employees of tho Government Printing Office—compositors and readers —from the Typographical Union. ' Recently a deputation had interviewed tho Hon. Mr. Fisher on tho subject', hut ,he could not see his way to accede to their request, which practically meant preference to unionists. Tho deputation reported to a meeting of tho union, which was not satisfied frith tho .Minister's decision, and tho present deputation was the outcome, llule -2 of the Government Printing, Office Chapel, w(!iich had been in force for twenty or thirty years, practically provided for preference to unionists. What they wanted was that this rule should remain. Mr. Fisher had laid it down that the rule must be removed—?that was what his decision amounted to. ' •

• The. Union .ancf Politics. Tlie only reason tfliat the seceders had given for their action was that thoy considered the time h'ad arrived when, as .Civil Servants, they should not belong to a political or semi-political organisation. Tho Typographical Union was not a politic*! or semi-politicai body. It was an industrial union under the Act.' It did not take part in politics, and the only organisation to which it was affiliated was the New Zealand Federation of Typographical Industrial 'Unions. . The funds wore devoted mainly to/management expenses and beneOne rule now before'the Registrar provided that a man might draw £10 retiring" alowance, arid £20 mortality allowance.' ' ~

.Tho Prime Minister- About these thirlteeli men who have seceded from •the -union, do yo« want me to tell them to .go back? , >'

: Mr. Harper: That is practically tha request, sir. '

.Mr./ C. H.' Chapman said- that the reasons not mentioned by Mr. Harper was t?iat- the union felt it was losing a privilege -it had enjoyed for many years—a privilege tljat had not been challenged by; any nrevious in charge- of-, tbb .Government Printing Office..

' Mr. Massey: 'What privelego are you referring to? : •

Mr. Chapman: This provision, of preference to unionists..;

Mr.' Massey: . These. .thirteen _ men, when they .secede, thev .lose their preference?

■ Mr.! Chapman: They lose their preference. I consider that , under the rules of tlio ' Government Printing Ollice Chapel which are supported by the Typographical Union it would he o.uite competent for tho:Government.,-Printer, when there: was employment .'.-in tho city, to discharge these men and-.take on others who are members of our .Union... For the..whole.of tho' time- in which the .Chapel hail this privilege ..of.'; preference to. unionists, -a peculiar state of harmony had obtained in the; Government Printing. Offico.. Experience had. shown-\ that. ..'where, unionists and non-unionists had to work together trouble arose, and he con. tended that in the present case the Minister of Labour should intervene on grounds of publio policy. Mr. Massey: And you go the length of asking the Government to require these .men either, to join tho .union or leave, their employment?. ,■

, ■ Accusations. Mr.;. Chapman: 1 We are of opinion that it is simply to-curry'favour'flint those men aro dropping out of the union. - Mr. Massey: That is an expression of opinion. 1 want to hear what you wally .require. ; Mr. Chapman: We want you to malfo it clear that you have no wish to break up our union. . Mr.-,Massey: So.far as I am concerned, I--have >110 wish-to break. up the union.

Mr.. Chapman: If you make that known, .and that- these men are not going. get het.ter position® l>v-|pavu)g the -union, they will probably come back.; . . ■

. Mr. Fisher: Who do , you suggest that tliey are curbing favour with? ( Mr. Chapman: . With the ' Government, - with the. Minister in, charge--— , .Mr. Fisher:' They aro 'under the Public .(Service Commission. . .' . Mr. Chapman': ' Although tliey aro under the Public Service Commission wo. consider that they are currying favour with the Minister in charge of the Government Printing Office.

Mr. Fisher: What.can they, got from him ?

, Mr., Chapman: - Tliey may be mistaken, Irat they consider that his influence would help them in promotion. ; Mr. Fisher:' Tliat is your theory ? Mr. Chapman: 1 am quito prepared to say they.may be mistaken, hut that is the theory'they'hold.- Ho'added that the deputation wished to maintain the privileges to their- .union, and-, considered from the point of view of public policy, that what had been customary for so many years 1 should not be sea aside. . i , A Material Fact Omitted, The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher said' it had been quito rightly said that there had been harmony in the Printing Office for the last 3Q 'years until this trouble occurred. Tho contention was now raised that-theso men who had resigned from tho union had done so with the idea of currying favour with the Minister. The deputation : should have explained the real, reason why these men went out. They went out' because of the action, of the union in regard ,to the strike.. Why had'tho''-deputa-tion omitted to tell the Prime Minister that? - Tho men; resigned because tlunion illegally gave .-EIOO to the strike funds, and because the union illegally considered a communication from the Federation; and thereby turned tlw union into a'political organisation, and nothing else. These men had resigned after - giving three months' notice as they hat! n perfect right, in do wider the law. Now the union came to him and said: "Wo want you to insist \ipoii these men remaining in the union." The "chapel" rules upori which the union based this demand were not worth tlio paper they were written on. and wore absolutely overridden by tho law, The union asked the Government to spy to these, won: "You must join tho union, or out you go." .' This ho did not proposo to do. When the deputation said that it was impossible for harmony to exist in an office whoro unionists and non-unionists wore employed, they forgot that in the Sydney Printing House there wore unionists and non-unionists working together, and under a Labour Govorninentr and uo attempt had been made to. make the non-unionists bccomo unionists.' 'Sinco" theso nien had gono

out tlio union had passed a rule that any other member who resigned must pay £o for iho privilege. They had asked to have this rule registered. He had' 110 desire to destroy the union, but ho would advise the employees in the Government Printing Office to form thomselves into a State Printing Office Union. Those'' thirteen men who had resigned-rand thoy had, many sympathisers in the offbe—v/ho enjoyed many privileges and advantages not enjoyed by men in private employ, objected to being placed under the thumb of an organisation that was heing used for political purposes.

"Now Wa've Got It." Mr. Chapman argued that tlio. union did not vote any sum of money to sup--port tho strike. Mr. Fisher: You voted £100 for the wives and children of the strikers. Mr. Chapman: An entirely different matter. ' Mr. .Fisher: But it -was illegal. You t(?ok the opinion of your solicitor, Mr. •D. M. Findlay, and ho advised you tha't it was illegal. Mr. Chapman said that to vote sums in this way had been, a custom of unions for very many years.. It .was made quite clear to tho members of the union that they would not"?bo* called out en strike. This reason put forward'by tho men who had gono out of the union was merely a pretext. The real reason was that they were anxious to curry favour.

Mr. Fisher: Do you admjt that these men had a legal rigflit to resign?

Mr. Chapman: Yes. .-Mr. Fisher: But you say thftt if they resign they must leave the Government Printing Office?

Mr. Chapman: That is what it amounts to.

Mr. Fisher: Now we've got it.

"We Can't Do It." /■

The Right Hon. W, F. Massey: "I can assure you, gentlemen, that 1 have no desire, and tile Government has no desire, to break up your union. Very far from it. But 1 don't quite see how the , Government can interfere in tliis dispute., As for these men currying favour with the Minister by leaving the union, that is a mistaken idea. The employeek of tlie Government Printing Offico are under the control of the Public Service Commissioner, and the .Minister in chargo of the office, or any other Minister, is prohibited by statute, under a penalty of £50, "from attempting to use any influence with . tlie Commissioners. Apart from that lam sure the Minister would never think of using any influence in favour of any employee of the Printing Office. As to tlie statement. made by the last speaker that what they really want is that tlie Gove::nmoht should compel these men tit go back to the union or leave their employment, my reply ia that wo can't do it. That would lie an act if tyranny which I can't think of, and of which the Government would not approve for one moment. I hope, however, that as time goes on your tittle differences mav be got over, and tha' 1 - time will heal the wounds. But I don't want yon to leave with any falso impression. ' The Government simply cannot do what you request."