UNIONIST SQUABBLE

Evening Star, Issue 23726, 6 November 1940, Page 12

UNIONIST SQUABBLE

THE MAIN TRUNK WORKERS' CASE MR SEMPLE'S STRONG WORDS “USING WADDY TO VIOLATE NATIONAL AGREEMENT " . [Pi:k United Press Association.] CHRISTCHURCH, November 5. The points that the Public AVorks employees had asked for preference for unionists and that he was not interested in any domestic quarrel in the union wore emphasised by the Minister of Public AVorks, Air Semple, in a telephone interview at AVhakatane with the Christchurch ‘ Press ’ to-night on the dismissal of workers on the South Island Alain Trunk railway. “ 1 don’t mu their union, and 1 am not going to say to the men who refuse to take out union tickets that they don’t run the Public AVorks in tinprocess of running their union,” declared Air Semple. “ How they run their union is not going to worry mo, but if they think they arc going to run the Public AVorks, that is not going to suit me. They are not going to run the department to patch up quarrels with their own organisation. After preference to unionists was given them J have Had to carry it out. I cannot om ploy non-unionist labour on publicworks, and 1 am not going to allow them to be unionists to-day and nonunionists to-morrow. They have to be unionists all the time.”

The statement that Air Eddy, presi dent of the New Zealand AVorkers’ Union, requested him to put into operation clause 34 of the agreement, requiring all workers to be members o): a union, was not true, Mr Semple said. The first lie heard of men refusing to take out their annual tickets was while he was in Christchurch a week ago. At that time, before he had seen Mr Eddy, lie had decided that unless the men complied with their agreement they would not be allowed to work.

BREAKING AGREEMENT THEY SOUGHT. “ 1 am not a scrap concerned about their own union quarrel,” the Minister said. “ That lias got nothing whatever to do with me. i am concerned about the agreement that has been drafted 'between their representatives on the one hand and the Public Works Department on the other hand, signed by me and their representative. The request for the preference clause for the unionists in their agreement came from the men themselves through their representatives. 1 agreed to their request and embodied section 34 in the agreement. They are now trying to use the very- clause they put into the agreement for their protection against non-unionist labour to force mo to interfere in their own domestic quarrel in their union. In other words, they are prepared to break their agreement, to ignore the fundamental

principles of preference to unionists when it suits them. They cannot have it both ways. I have strictly adhered to the agreement since I have been in charge of the Public Works Department, and I have adhered to every principle in the agreement and I have insisted that the union should do likewise.

“ If any section of the union was allowed to violate any principle contained in the agreement to please them without any true regard for the rest of the membership and to ignore completely the Minister in Charge -of Public Works, tho agreement would become a farce and they would be back to rafl'erty rules,” Mr Semple said, “ and that cannot happen so far as lam concerned. I repeat again that I am not a scrap interested about their union quarrels. They have their remedy without violating any agreement. Tho preference clause was given to them at their own request. As it suits them they want to become nonunionists themselves; in other words, to black-leg their own agreement. So far as I am concerned they are not going to do it.” The only thing Mr Eddy had requested him to do, Mr Semple added, was to extend the time in which the men voidd join the union, first from Thursday, October 31, to Monday, November 2. Mr Eddy had actually asked him to extend the notice for a further week, hut, said Mr Semple, ho had, acted on his own responsibility. Mr Eddy was not his adviser, and his responsibility was to see that the agreement was carried out to the letter. He asked no one to share that responsibility. He took it himself. “ Every trades unionist in New Zealand who understands the fundamental principles of unionism has fought consistently for preference for unionists,” Mr Semple concluded. “.That preference has been conceded to these men in their own interests and for their own protection. Now they want to use it as a wnddy in their union dispute and to violate a national agreement. I would not be fit to be in the position I am in if 1 tolerated that conduct on the part of any group of men, and I am not going to tolerate it.” BULK OF MEN REFUSE WILL FIGHT CASE THROUGH COURTS CHRISTCHURCH, November 5. All the men employed on the South Island Main Trunk railway construction north of Kaikouru who had previously refused to take out membership tickets to-day became financial members of the New Zealand Workers’ Union. About 200 workers on the section comprising Taratubi, Oaro, and Pulceta maintained their refusal to purchase tickets until their grievances with the muon were settled. The number of men who bought tickets to-day on tho section north of Kaikouru was more than 90. They began work at their usual hours, and there was no hold-up of construction on that .section. South of Kaikoura no work was done by tho larger number uf men alfected. Only about 17 men were reported to be working on tho whole of that section. Bridge and tunnelling work was held up, and tho whole staff at the fitting shop for the southern section at Oaro, as well as the carpenters’ shop, was idle.A letter was sent on Monday by the workers threatened with unemployment until they purchased tickets to the Minister of Public Works (Mr Semple), asking him to suspend the dismissals until such time ns lie had heard the men's side of tho case. Their views were also forwarded in a telegram to tho Minister of Labour (Mr Webb). Messages asking for assistance had also been sent to several members of Parliament, including Mr S. Cv. Holland

and Air W. A. Bodkin, who is visiting North Canterbury. No replies had been received by 4 p.m. Tho men decided to-day definitely not to go back to work until the question of the appointment of organisers is settled. Mr D. D. Popplewell, Oaro section secretary, said:- “ We have had some advice legally, and if tho reply of tho Minister of Public Works is unfavourable, wo will light our case through tin* courts.” Mr Pupplowell said tin; nieii who had already returned to work had done* so under a misunderstanding. and promised full support to those who were now unemployed. " DEMOCRATS " INTERVENE HASTINGS, November 5. The Democratic Labour leaders, Mr W. E. Barnard, ALP., and Air J. A. Lee, ALP., have sent a telegram to the Alinister of Public AVorks (Air Semple), expressing the hope that “ political influence will not be used to dragoon tho group of workers on the South_ Island Alain Trunk who have a legitimate grievance which should be investigated before the [rower of the State. is invoked to fortifv headquarters against the rank and file of members of the Workers' Union.’!