DOMESTIC MATTERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 83, 8 April 1938, Page 12

DOMESTIC MATTERS

UNION DIFFERENCES

MEMBERSHIP QUESTION

COURT'S ATTITUDE

The attitude of the Court towards domestic differences between unions was indicated plainly by Mr. Justice Hunter in the Second Court of Arbitration today.- His Honour said that the Court wished to reiterate that it was a pity domestic matters between unions should come before the Court.

The combined district clothing trade 'employees' Dominion dispute was before the Court and the question was raised by Mr. W. T. Young whether certain workers should come within the scope of the award sought for the clothing trade. Mr. Young objected (1) to woollen mills, knitting mills, and hosiery factories being included in the Clothing Trade Award and (2) to cardigans and bathing costumes manufactured by woollen mills being incorporated in the interpretation clause of the Clothing Trade Award.

Mr. D. I. Macdonald, Christchurch, said that what Mr. Young sought could not be agreed to by the employers in entirety. There might be one or two points in Mr. Young's submissions that they possibly would be prepared to agree to. »

A CARDINAL PRINCIPLE.

"There is no ill-feeling on the part of the two labour organisations concerned," said Mr. Young, "but from our point of view there is a cardinal principle involved pertaining to organisation along the lines of industry as we claim to have been laid down in the new law of 1936."

Mr. J. Roberts, of Christchurch, advocate for the clothing trade workers, asked that Mr. Young produce the authority he claimed to have to appear on behalf of the New Zealand Federated Woollen Mills, Knitting Mills, and Hosiery Factories' Employees' Industrial Association of Workers.

Mr. Young said he had received authority by letter, particularly in regard to cardigans and bathing costumes.

His Honour said that the Court would accept Mr. Young's assurance and he could produce the authority later.

Mr. Young contended that it was not within the scope of the Clothing Trade Union to interfere with the workers he represented. If successful it would result in some workers in the Petone mill who were engaged in the manufacture of cardigans and bathing costumes, and had been for the past 30 years or so, and who had for many years' been members of the union he represented, being compelled to join the Clothing Trades Union. • Industrially they would not be one iota better off if they did.

HIS HONOUR'S ADVICE,

Before Mr. Young withdrew his Honour said it was a pity that domestic matters between unions could not be settled without reference to the Court.

If, said his Honour, the parties could not come to a settlement themselves, then the Court willingly would grapple with the matter in dispute and do what.it thought right.. Once more, however, he wished to point out that the time of the Court of Arbitration should not be takenup with domestic discussions 'between unions as to which union particular people should belong, unless, of course, there was a question of principle the Court was asked to decide.

Later when Mr. Roberts was reading his statement to the Court Mr. A. W. Croskery, workers' representative, on the Bench, asked if the question had been submitted to the New Zealand Federation of Labour.

Mr.- Roberts replied that the trouble had not occurred in any, other district except Wellington.

LABOUR TRIBUNAL,

■ Mr. Croskery said that in view of the fact that the workers had a national organisation he thought it should be possible, if there was a little reasonableness, for the New Zealand Federation of Labour to'adjust matters satisfactorily for both parties. If that could not be done there was no alternative than for the organisation which felt aggrieved to go to the Court. In the majority of cases, however, he thought the tribunal he had suggested, the New Zealand Federation of Labour, should be able to" fix up matters in dispute between unions.

Mr. Roberts said that there was no objection from the employers to the addition of cardigans and bathing costumes to the interpretation clause. The objection came solely from Mr. Young as secretary of the Wellington Woollen Mills and Hosiery Factory Union. That was the reason he had asked Mr. Young to produce his authority for appearing on behalf of the New Zealand organisation. . "Our unions," Mr. Roberts continued, "have no desire to encroach upon or interfere in any way with classes of work that rightly come within the provisions. of the Woollen Workers* Award. The manufacturing of knitted fabric into cardigans and bathing costumes is definitely work that is covered by the Clothing Trades Award. The workers employed in manufacturing these garments are cutters, machinists, pressers,, examiners, all of whom are covered by the Clothing Trades Award. The only workers covered by the Woollen Mills Employees' Award are wool-sorters, weavers, warpers, spinners, combers, tuners, wool-scourers, chain-minders, carders, and pressers. ■ None of the operations performed by these workers play any part in the manufacture of the fabric into garments. Their work is confined solely to manufacturing

the fabric.

We submit that as

the manufacturing or assembling of garments is definitely clothing manufacturing, cardigans and bathing costumes should be added to the interpretation clause."

The Court reserved its decision on the question.