MOTOR WORKS DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 182, 30 April 1936, Page 12

MOTOR WORKS DISPUTE

Men Objected to “Speeding - Up Methods” Reference to the recent dispute at General Motors’ assembly works at Petone yvas made by Mr. C. H. Chapman (Government, Wellington North) during the resumed debate on the second reading of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives yesterday. ' “The strike cannot be attributed to the activities of the union,” said Mr. Chapman, “because not one of the 450 employees who were involved was a member of the union. The trouble was brought about owing to speeding-up methods, which the men considered were a species of slave driving. “General Motors’ factory,” continued Mr. Chapman, “has introduced a system of bringing into New Zealand steel parts of motor-cars which are claimed to be completely knocked down, but I have every reason to believe that those steel parts do not comply with the regulations, and that the company Is getting a reduction in duty to which it is not entitled. That, of course, is by the way. The system in operation at the factory lends itself to a certain amount of speeding up, The employees considered it was unfair and unreasonable, and they struck for higher wages without consulting the union of which they should have been members. “That is one of the strikes traceable to the existing legislation, the effect of which has been to cause men to leave their union simply because it had not the power to approach the Arbitration Court. The trade unionists of New Zealand are a reasonable body of men who only want a fair deal. They did not get it from the past Government.”