The Dominion. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1937. ONE BIG UNION

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 130, 26 February 1937, Page 10

The Dominion. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1937. ONE BIG UNION

Dissensions within the Alliance of Labour extending over sonic years back seem likely to be brought to a head shortly. Recently a circular, signed by Messrs. L. Mcllvride (secretary of the New Zealand Union of Railwaymen), Mr. A. Cook (secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union), and Mr. J. Roberts (secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union), was sent out conveying invitations to a national conference of the organised workers for the purpose of forming a “National Industrial Organisation which can decide on a national policy for industrial labour, and speak and act on behalf of the wage and salaried workers throughout the Dominion.’ Lae suggested date of the conference was early in April. This circular did not receive unanimous approval, ihe Canterbury district council of the Alliance of Labour considered that the proposal would make for dominance by three large unions., and adopted a motion condemning “the attempt now being made to disrupt the national industrial movement by the setting up. of another national organisation under the domination of a combination, of big unions. We call upon our national council immediately, in conjunction with the Trades and Labour Councils’ Federation, to send out a call for a national trades union unity conference, based on democratic representation from all unions, large- or small, for the purpose of building up one national trades union centre for New Zealand based on equal rights for all unions.’’ Arrangements toward this end have since been in train, and it is expected that a conference will be held on March 23 next to complete the amalgamation of the New Zealand Alliance of Labour and the New Zealand Trades and Labour Council into one national organisation. This conflict of activities and purposes points to disunity within the Alliance of Labour itself. The Standard, the. official organ of the New Zealand Labour movement, gives its editorial blessing to the conference promoted by the three big unions, and -no doubt has very good reasons for its support. The differences between the. two factions will be fought out in due course, but the point, of public, interest in the one big union idea is whether such a combination might not develop into government of the Government —of the country, in. fact —by the trade unions. In the circular above-mentioned, the point is stressed that the Labour movement should have a united policy. But if the policy to be elaborated be based on certain sentiments in the circular it would neither be good for the Government, nor for the country. For example, we read: “The basic wage awarded by the Court of Arbitration ... is nothing short of scandalous; if there had been unity in the workers’ movement a higher basic wage would have been awarded”; “The Court of Arbitration gave decisions in connection with the 40-hour -week -which were not in accordance with the legislation passed by the Government”; “this would not have occurred . . . had there been a national organisation which could speak and act on behalf of all the workers throughout the Dominion.” Again: “ ... It should be the duty of the industrial organisations of the Dominion to co-operate with and advise the Government on all matters connected with industrial legislation.” The danger here is that co-operation and advice might develop into dictation. Further on it is urged that the industrial workers of this country have a duty to co-operate with “their own Government.” Does the Government accept this implied suggestion that it is a class Government, possessed and instructed by the trade unions? No Government can hope to survive the fact or even the suspicion that it is subject to the dictation of the head centre of an amalgamation of trade unions who themselves would be subject to its discipline in political action.