LABOR V. LABOR

Evening Star, Issue 19271, 9 June 1926, Page 12

LABOR V. LABOR

DUAL UNIONISM THE GOVERNMENT ATTACKED A declaration that the Government was attempting to weaken the Labor movement ..by initiating a policy of “dual unionism” was made in Invercargill yesterday by Mr G. 8. Thomson, of Dunedin, secretary of tho Otago and Southland Hotel, Restaurant and Boarding-house Employees’ Union (says the ‘ Southland Times’). Mr Thomson was addressing a meeting of members of the Invercargill branch of this union on the subject of the recent attempt to start another union in Invercargill when there was already one in existence. After making reference to the attitude of the Labor Department and the Prime Minister towards the unemployed, Sir Thomson said that he received a letter recently from the Department of Labor, Wellington, in which he thought he could discern something below the surface. With the consent of the officials of the union he left for Wellington with the intention of finding out the exact position. In Wellington he interviewed Mr C. A. Berondsen, Deputy Registrar of Industrial Unions and head of the legal branch of the Labor Department, who said that the best course was for both to lay their cards on the table. During tho ensuing conversation ho could see that Mr Berendsen kept something at the back of his mind. Later ho came to tho conclusion that this was the matter of dual unionism, the policy of establishing two unions for one class of workers in one place. This, of course, had the effect of weakening the hand of Labor. Confirmation of this impression was, he said, later given him by another high Government official, who had himself admitted that such was the Government’ policy. It had been parried into effect in Christchurch, where there wore now two carpenters’ unions, and there seemed to be an attempt to do the same thing in Invercargill- Mr Thomson added that he knew that the Minister of Labor was not in favor of the policy which his own department was carrying out. Tho position was that Labor was lighting against Labor. Before concluding his address Mr Thomson again referred to the Premier’s pronouncement regarding , the unemployed, that they “were not, going to dictate to the Government of this country.” Mr Thomson stated that Mr Coates, with his military dictatorship, was not going to cut wages down. He (Mr Thomson) was one of the Labor leaders who were going to prevent that step. He was not going to sav now how it was to bo clone, hut while in Wellington several members of his party had put their heads together to devise a plan. At. present they were organising their forces thoroughly throughout the Dominion, and anyone who attempted to divide the ranks of the unionists would meet with their united opposition.