MORE ORGANIZATION NEEDED

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 233, 30 June 1939, Page 11

MORE ORGANIZATION NEEDED

Employers And Labour

Problems

NEW ZEALAND UNIONS AN ADVANTAGE The need for employers to organize their side of the case properly when dealing with industrial problems was stressed by Mr. W. H. Cunningham, solicitor to* the National Dairy Federation, at the National Dairy Conference in Wellington yesterday. He spoke on recent industrial changes and employers’ problems. Was the employers’ side properly organized and were the employers tackling the problems which must arise with the proper organization? he asked. In a leading article in "The Dominion” it was pointed out that the Industrial. Conciliation and Arbitration Act had not prevented strikes. He thought -those present would agree that there had been a great lag by the employers in making use of organization by unions. There was every likelihood that the employees’ side would see the advantage of New Zealand unions and gradually most of the district unions would become de-registered. The question was whether employers should not also go for organizing their side of the industry into New Zealand unions. There had been a gradual growth of employers’ New Zealand unions to deal with industrial problems. “Is it not a fact that at present under ■the guaranteed price we are merely State servants?” asked a delegate. “As the price is fixed I feel that it would be the duty of the industry to ask Mr. Nash to present the case for the dairy industry before the Court of Arbitration when claims are made by workers. If Mr. Nash agrees and the Court agrees' to increase wages then it would be Mr. Nash’s duty to increase the guaranteed price.”