UNION TERRORISM

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 June 1925, Page 5

UNION TERRORISM

MEMBER CLAIMS £lOOO. IMPORTANT TEST CASE. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) <• MELBOURNE, June 27.’ A case bearing importantly on*the question whether unions are entitled to inflict penalties on members for alleged disobedience of rules is proceeding. , I V *• , F. Phillips is seeking to recover £lOOO damages from the ' Workers’! Federation 'of Australiaand the Wharf Labourers’ Union', of which he is a member, on the ground thlit thb two bodies mentioned wrongfully reflised to recognise; him as a mtember thereby he lost, employment. Phillips’s case is that in February last year, he was helping to.unload sugar from a steamer. The foreman called him down the hatch to 'fill up slings. He obeyed' the order.. The Union’s vigilance officer thereupon came along and called down tlie hold, "Stop that game; you are putting too much on the slings.” Phillips was subsequently fined 10/- by the Union for alleged breach of the rules.

>He dehied liability and wafc consequently set aside as unfinancial. He could get no work small jobs and was unable to join any other union a financial clearance.