UNION FEES

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 99, 23 October 1936, Page 11

UNION FEES

ENFORCED PAYMENT

RELIGIOUS OBJECTIONS

DISCUSSION IN HOUSE

A long discussion took place in the House of Hepres'entatives this morning regarding Ihe attitude of Seventh Day Adventists towards compulsory union-; ism, and the suggestion was made that members of the sect might be perraitted to pay their union fees into a special benevolent fund, instead of into the ordinary union funds. The j matter arose from the presentation of a report on the petition of H. E. Piper and 1789 others praying for exemption from the compulsory unionism provisions contained in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act passed in the flrst'part p£ the present session. The Labour Bills Committee recommended that the petition should be referred to the Government tor consideration. The Hon. A. Hamilton (National, Wallace) expressed the hope that the Government would give consideration to the request of the petitioners. The Seventh Day. Adventists were quite prepared to pay their union fees but they did not desire that they should be paid into a fighting fund. He thought the position might be met by allowing the members of the sect to pay their fees into a separate fund in the keeping of the Labour Department, the money to be used for purposes that would be acceptable to the contributors and to the Government. That was not very much to ask at the present stage. The members of the sect were law-abiding citizens and they did not want to break the law. MINISTER'S ATTITUDE. The Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) said he had nothing but the greatest respect for the society. They were taking up exactly the same attitude that the members of the Labour Party had supported from 1914 tp 1918. At the same time the problem was a very ticklish one. He would be the very last member of 'the House to run counter to the conscientious principles of anybody, but one ■would imagine from what ■. had been said that an' entirely new principle had been introduced into the law. The Seventh Day Adventists had been established in New Zealand for forty years, and for thirty years of that time there had been compulsory unionism in various forms in nearly all the principal industries. • Compulsory; unionism had been written intp awards by the Arbitration Court. Mr. Hamilton: By voluntary arrangement between the parties. Mr. Armstrong: No. The hon. member has been Minister of Labour and he should know better than that. During the time we have had compulsory unionism there have been Seventh Day Adventists living in New Zealand, and never before has a protest been entered. I have been in the trades union movement all my life, and I have never heard of any protest. No' new principle has been entered at all, Mr. Hamilton: Why did you amend the law then? ' The Minister said that in a number of industries workers were asked to produte their union gards before they, ■were giveri employment.- He would be prepared to recommend to trades' union secretaries that they should allow the Seventh Day Adventists to pay their union fees into a benevolent fund, and he thought the suggestion would be ae-. ceptable, * ; i. NOT WHOLLY IN OPERATION. } Mr, S. G. Smith (National, New Ply) mouth)-, said the Minister had en-, devoured to lead the House to believe that compulsory unionism had been wholly in operation in New Zealand. '[■ The Minister; In mostjndustries. • . Mr. Smith: The Minister tried to make the House believe that, it has been wholly in operation md that can't be justified. There are thousands of workers belonging to unions today who 'had never been in unions before. Mr. Armstrong: Do you know that some members of this society are secretaries, of unions? The Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) defended'the Minister of Labour against the charge- of'misleading the house. What Mr. Armstrong had done was to point out that there had b,een an extension of the, law relating' to: compulsory unionism. He iknew of Seventh Day Adventists who worked on the waterfront, and were most enthusiastic unionists and were in favour of compulsion. Mr. S. G. Holland Christchurch North), said that the principle was new. He thought the objectors ' should be allowed to pay their fees into a separate fund. JUSTICE WILL BE DONE. *We are not going to make an amendment to an Act that was passed a few days ago," said the Prime' Minister (the Rt, Hon. M. J. Savage). "In the administration of the law as it stands we will meet these people and all others witli justice, so far as justice can be done, I think we can leave it there. The Government is sympathetic towards people with religious beliefs and conscientious objections. So far as we can meet their wishes without destroying the principles of unionism it will be done. . Mr. B. A, Wright (Independent, Wellington Suburbs) said he appreciated what the Prime-Minister had said, but he wa3 afraid that as the Act stood neither administration nor anything else would alter the position of the Seventh Day Adventists. There were overseers in industry who were telling people that if they did not pay their union fees they would have to go. Mr. Armstrong; They dare not say that. It is against the law. Mr. Wright: I am prepared to stand Toy wliat I say. Mr. Armstrong: But you say all sorts of funny things. Mr. Wright said that Seventh Day 'Adventists took no part in politics. Mr. F. W. Schramm (Government, 'Auckland East): What about J. B, Donald? He stood against me at the last election. . Mtf'H, Atmore (Independent, Nelson) hoped that the Government would give ■way. to the wishes of the petitioners. The report was tabled.