Validity Of Secret Ballot Is Questioned

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 March 1948, Page 2

Validity Of Secret Ballot Is Questioned

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, March 12. Indications are growing that a challenge may soon be made by a section of the workers at Mangakino to the validity of the secret ballot by which the Mangakino branch of the New Zealand Workers’ Union decided on Tuesday to cease work on the hydroelectric power schemes at Maraetai, Whakamaru and Waipapa, according to the New Zealand Herald’s special correspondent at Mangakino. Apart from this, there were no new developments today in the strike, which will enter its third day tomorrow. It is not expected that the position will change before the middle'of next week, many workers being away during the week-end. 900 Men Idle More than 900 Public Works and State hydro-electric employees are on strike, the only personnel still employed being a few camp staff attending the pumps which are keeping the inlet end of the Maraetai diversion tunnel free of water. The town of Mangakino is quiet, although a large number of men are obvious in their idleness. Plans have been made by the union for games and concerts to keep the strikers amused and occupied, but rain which developed this afternoon may cause the programme for tomorrow to be abandoned. The main hint of future developments came today from the opposition group in the union which drew criticism from the executive yesterday as canvassing members in a “strike breaking Attempt.” Members of this group said they felt the real question had been clouded by the Communist element in the village, and they considered they had wellfounded suspicions that the ballot conducted by the executive was far from regular. Being true unionists, they did not desire to break the strike, as such, but to prevent the union from being used to further the influence of Communism in the Dominion. They were fighting Communism, hot unionism.

Report Denied . The only statements issued by the

executive of the union today were that it had received no petition for a special meeting, as reported in the New Zealand Herald yesterday, and that it was considered that the statement by Mr F. H. Hanson, spokesman of the Professional Engineers’ Association, on the origin of the trouble, was answered by that of Mr W. Wallace, president of the New Zealand Workers’ Union.

Although the men were paid today, and few are reported to have left Mangakino, there was no large scale exodus such as was anticipated in some quarters. . An item in today’s trade union news sheet issued by the local branch of the Workers’ Union emphasised that it was the dut/ of all members to “stay while the fight was on” and added that the names of all the men leaving the job to seek employment elsewhere would be sent to the national office.