THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 22326, 30 April 1936, Page 14

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

(By Trade Unionist.)

AMENDMENT OF INDUSTRIAL . LABOUR LAWS. Copies of the proposed amendments to the Factories Act and the industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act as reported from the Labour Bills Committee are just to hand. A perusal of them indicates a radical change in these Acts in the interests of the industrial workers of the Dominion, the institution of the 40-hour week being the most revolutionary. The recognition of all matters affecting the privileges, rights, and duties of trade unions and trade union representatives as industrial matters in the I.C. and A. Amendment is a provision that has been strongly advocated for many years, as the unions have been handicapped very severely in their organisation amongst the workers. Previously, although union representatives and employers agreed to certain matters in Conciliation Councils, such as the right of entry of the union representative to employers’ premises where workers arc employed working under the awards, the court would never embody in the award such a provision, because it was not an industrial matter as provided by the original Act. Further, tire right of the unions to register as a local union, North or South Island, a Dominion union is to be given. This will have the effect of settling more industrial disputes on a national basis, and thus save the country expense. “ Trade Unionist ” would have liked to see the unions registered under the I.C. and A. Act have restored to them the right to establish unemployment and sick benefit funds as in the days of earl\ r unionism. However, we can-' not expect more ’than is being done at the present time. The matter I have mentioned will possibly' he considered later. * * * * THE EARLY UNIONISTS. It is well that all workers, but particularly the youths and maidens, should keep in touch with the history of unionism. Dull of spirit indeed is he who can read of the martyred dead without feeling the stimulus to hand on the torch. From a lecital of manly deeds and noble utterances that would fill many volumes, the following brief selection is made. It is part of a letter'written by William Lovett and John Collins in Warwick Gaol, May 6, 1840. Broken in health, they were offered freedom provided they gave assurances they would not continue in the class • struggle when set free. Their dignified, courageous reply stated : _ “ We have been about the first political victims who have been Cashed as misdemeanants and felons because we happen to be of the working class. Our healths have been injured and our constitutions seriously undermined by the treatment we have already experienced, but we are disposed to suffer whatever future punishments may be inflicted upon us rather than enter into any such terms as those proposed by the Secretary of State.” Just as stirring and courageous were the actions and utterances of many of our early unionists. It is a thousand pities that young Australians are not given at school a knowledge of working class history.— 1 Australian Labour Call.’ * * *. * IN MEMORY OF ALBERT THOMAS. A mural tablet in remembrance of Albert Thomas, the first director of the International Labour Office, was unveiled at Champigny-sur-Marne, his birthplace. The memorial, the gift of the municipality, is affixed to the bakery which was once occupied by the father of Albert Thomas, in the Avenue JeanJaurcs. Many townspeople and friends of Albert Thomas attended the unveiling ceremony. Tributes were paid to his memory by the Mayor of Champigny, Mr Justin Godart, Mr Pone (representing Mr Harold Butler, present director of the 1.L.0.), Mr Mario Roques (representing the association of “ Friends of Albert Thomas ”), and representatives of parliamentary, municipal, co-operative, and other communities with which Albert Thomas was actively associated during his lifetime. # * * • WEEKLY REST FOR TAXI CAB DRIVERS. Regulations published in Mexico City make a weekly rest day compulsory for all drivers of motor vehicles plying for hire in the Federal district. Every car is placed in one of live groups, which are distinguished by marks of different colours; and those belonging to each group must remain in their garages on a different day in the week (one of the first five weekdays) ; on Saturday and Sunday and certain holidays (September 15 and 16, December 24, 25. and 31. and New Year’s Day), when there is a large influx of tourists,, all cars may be on the roads. Special permits may bo obtained for cars which, owing to accident, repairs, or other reasons, are obliged to bo out on their prescribed rest dav. * « * * ' CONSIDERATE INVENTORS. Labour-saving machines are usually introduced in a way that brings havoc to multitudes, but the inventors of a mechanical cotton picker, capable of displacing 2,000,000 labourers in the United States, are to market it on conditions designed to benefit the men dispensed with. The inventors, John and Mack Rust, worked for eight years in developing and perfecting their machine. It can do the work of from 50 to 100 labourers, and, if introduced in the usual way, it would bring fabulous profits to some people and disaster to the negroes and poor whites who now pick the cotton. But the brothers Rust declare that they will only allow the machine to he used “ under specific conditions which would .safeguard the South against catastrophe.” They stipulate that anyone using the machine must observe trade union rates and conditions throughout. The inventors and their financial backers are to have their return strictly limited, and a substantial part of the profits is to go to a social insurance scheme for the disabled and aged and to a programme of rural industrialisation. Thev suggest Government co-opera-tion in this proposal, partially to “ socialise ” the benefits of their invention. * » * AUSTRALIAN SEAMEN’S STRIKE. All Labourites who have given serious thought to the matter will have found cause to regret that the recent seamen’s strike began and ended as it did. At the beginning, the advice of the Federal Management Committee of the Seamen’s Union that the seamen should continue working pending the result of a plebiscite that was being taken by the union with respect to an award of the Arbitration Court, and the advice of the representatives of the Federal unions directly concerned that the seamen should return towork and apply to the court for a variation of their award, were ignored. And the end was that the seamen were defeated

and had to return to work tinder worse conditions than those which had operated before they went on strike. It goes without saying that had the seamen followed the advice of the Federal Management Committee of the union or that of the representatives of the federal unions, they would have been in a very much better position than they are to-day. They would still be in their jobs, and free from the humiliation and restriction of being licensed under the Transport Workers’ Act. They also would have been better able to continue their fight for increased wages and improved conditions of employment. It is clear that the seamen allowed themselves to be influenced by inexperienced members of an outside organisation known as the Communist Party against experienced and responsible trade union officials, when they decided to reject the advice offered and ceased work. The outsiders promised the seamen the support of other unions without any authority to do so, and speedy success in bringing the shipowners and the Arbitration Court to heel in the matter of granting the seamen’s demands, concerning the objectionable clauses of the award. * * » * DOMESTIC SERVANTS’ ORGANISATION. A recent meeting of the Domestic Servants’ Section of the Women’s Office of the German Labour Front explored and discussed the results on domestic conditions of new regulations. As far as the various rules issued by the Labour Trustees are concerned, it was found that most mistresses, still full of conservative views and obsolete class prejudices, attempted to evade the regulations; the best method was to appeal to their honour. As regards the operation of the rule prohibiting employment in Jewish homes, the meeting condemned the attempts of Jewish householders to replace their German girl _ servants by Germen men—au evasion of the law which deserved severe stricture. It was also pointed out that the domestic servants having to leave Jewish households could not all at once be placed in German families; and it was therefore suggested that retraining camps should he established for these unemployed women and girls, in which they could be sheltered from material cares and receive instruction in racial and National-Socialist theory as well as supplementary occupational training. The meeting also condemned the attempts of many mistresses to reduce their servants’ wages by exploiting the increase in applications for posts due to the new legislation. Lastly, the section has addressed to Gorman housewives au open letter in the Press, calling on them to give every servant a day’s holiday at Christmas. —lnternational Labour Office, * * * • LIABLE TO FINK OF £7,280, On four summonses for having failed to keep records of the hours of van drivers and on 12 summonses for having permitted them to drive without at least 10 hours’ rest in 24, Henry Thomas Wood, butcher and provision dealer, of King street, Ramsgate, England, was fined a total of £32. The chief constable, Mr F. S. Butler, said that Wood had rendered himself liable to proceedings in respect of over 380 summonses, for which the total maximum penalties could amount to £7.286. Ho could have been proceeded against in respect of 188 offences under the keeping of records, 35 in connection with hours of rest. 76 for driving without a break, 62 for exceeding the 11 hours’ maximum of driving per day, and 22 for failing to give a half-holiday. It was admitted that Wood had been ill for some time, and left the management to his two sons. One of the sons, who kept the records, had also been ill, and' died in November.