AGITATORS ABROAD

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 July 1946, Page 7

AGITATORS ABROAD

COMMUNIST PAMPHLET IN BUILDING TRADE

A PLEA FOR M EMBERSHIP [SPECIAL TO STAR.] < DUNEDIN, July 28. To the many worries of building employers, such as shortages of labour and materials, has recently been added another —propaganda by Communist agitators. One form which this is taking is a pamphlet published by the Building Trades Group of the Communist, Party of New Zealand in Auckland which urges workers'“to put the acid on the boss,” to “blacklist luxury jobs,” to convince their unions oi the need for one big union, to' pass resolutions on the job about a weekly wage for everyone, to discuss the issues raised at “smoko,” and then to “give the employer the works.” The pamphlet consists of 12 printed sides and is entitled “It’s TakeHome Pay that Feeds the Kids.” In the language of the compilers of the publication, “this pamphlet cost a packet, but it comes buckshee.” Then it continues: “It was paid for b5 r the individual efforts of certain members and sympathisers of the Communist Party. Why? Because every one of them is engaged in the building game and because the attaining of this programme will benefit every building trade worker, including ’themselves. You workers know all the Communists-who produced this pamphlet. All of them are part of you. A few hold trade union office. The rest are plumbers, labourers, chippies, and so on.” Capitalists Blamed.

An then beside a red hammer and sickle appears the following in black type.—“ Like all the workers, they are' exploited by the employers . . . starve in capitalist-caused slumps fight capitalist-caused wars. And join the party to put an end to all that.” Most of the pamphlet is devoted to telling the “worker” what he should expect to receive and how he should go about getting what the writers of the pamphlet feel he should get, and much space is also given to what “one great union could do” and the “vast possibilities with complete unity.” “Restore the wage cut” is one large heading, and under it is the information that “boots cost as much as ever, food prices are still high, our rents are not lower, clothes, fares,.coal, books —everything -is priced the same but our wages have been cut by nearly 20 per cent. During the war,” it continues,” “we kept afloat only because we worked 44, 48, 54, and even 60 and more hours a week. With overtime nearly finished, wages aren’t enough. Demand 4/- per hour, £7 a week for all workers. The country’s productivity has increased enormously. The worker created it. They demand their share of the cake. Get job unity on this demand.” The next page is devoted to a weekly wage for everyone” and to asking workers to pass resolutions about” it on the job and to “put the acid on the boss. Get job unity this demand, too.” Then comes propaganda for the formation of onebig union under “one ticket,” and this is followed by a plea that “every job should fight for uniform travelling time and uniform job conditions. Don’t wait for one union and one award,” the writers urge. “Demand right now that all conditions should be the same for all.” “Now Let Us Dictate.”

“For much too long the workers have let the employers dictate to them the jobs to bo done,” appears on another page. “The result is not enough houses for our fellow-work-ers and for us. Now let us dictate to them: We build no mansions until every worker is decently housed. 11 you "are on an unnecessary job—get off it. Blacklist luxury jobs.” . Then come three steps that they advocate—“workers must offer their services for State housing < tmd othei essential work and refuse luxury jobs, building regulations and timber control must be more severe and administration more strict, the Government. must take, over the construction of State houses and , all Government building, ' and there must be State ownership of brick, cement, timber industries and prefabrication works.” Space in the closing pages is devoted to -inch statements as “the State must take over firms that are not doing their job, like the tobacco industry,"” and “push like hell for Labour” and to a plea to “organise.” Other steps advocated are: “On the job discuss these issues at smoko; then give the employer the works. In the union urge the need lor worker-qnity and better job conditions. In the suburbs, join public organisations and get them moving. Help to achieve Socialism by joining up with the Communist Party.” , An employer who was handed tms pamphlet and prides himself on the happy relationship between his employces and himself was indignant that such action should be taken to start trouble on jobs and create ciil—ficulties in a trade where plenty of other problems already exist. He classed it as the propaganda of agitators and trouble-makers.