Mr Fraser Astonishes Trade Union Officials

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 September 1947, Page 2

Mr Fraser Astonishes Trade Union Officials

[SPECIAL TO STAB] WELLINGTON, This Day. Trade union officials here are astonished at the impression the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, appears to have created in Australia regarding New Zealand industrial Labour’s reaction to the aid-to-Britain proposals. Although the New Zealand Federation of Labour has pledged itself to give full support to the campaign and has called upon all New Zealand workers to throw themselves wholeheartedly into it, there has as yet been no acceptance of longer working hours or of labour direction.

The proposal that the working week should be extended to 44 hours was put forward by representatives of Federated Farmers at the Aid-to-Britain Conference, but it has not been adopted. The attitude of the Federation of Labour is that it should have been given opportunity fully to discuss the situation and determine its policy before the Aid-to-Britain Conference was held. Instead, the conference was called without this opportunity being allowed, and, although executive officials of the federation spoke for the organisation, they did not do so with the authority of the national council. It is apparent that much detailed consideration of the issues involved will be necessary before any generally acceptable policy can be hammered out. Labour Direction

The transport, refrigerating, and other key unions can be expected to refuse flatly to accept any form of labour direction under a National Industrial Emergency Council. The decision of the national council of the Federation of Labour to disagree with the emergency council scheme will be put immediately into effect if the Government goes ahead with this part of the recommendations of the Aid-to-Britain Conference.

As an alternative, the Federation of Labour is seeking the introduction of production committees with employer and employee member-

ship and designed to improve production methods, output, and industrial relations by giving the workers a share in management. At this stage it seems there are as many problems in the way of the production committee scheme of the federation as there are hurdles to be overcome before industrial labour is likely to accept a return to labour direction. It is evident that the aid-to-Britain campaign will hasten the development of major political problems. The production and trade drive is considered likely to have little effect while employer and worker each tells the other what sacrifices he should make.

Support for Mr Barnes

The decision of the national council of the Federation of Labour to refuse to accept the Industrial Emergency Council scheme involved repudiation of the attitude taken by executive members of the federation who voted in favour of the scheme at the Aid-to-Britain Conference. There were only two dissentient votes at that conference when the proposal was adopted. They were those of Mr H. Barnes, president of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, and another. Mr Barnes has now the official support of the New Zealand Federation of Labour in his declaration that only negotiation, not “coercive?” methods, will win the support of the workers.