“REBEL” UNIONISTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21922, 17 January 1946, Page 6

“REBEL” UNIONISTS

MODERATES RISE QUERULOUS CLERKS TEST CASE PENDING (Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY. Jan. 16. If the recent strikes have accomplished nothing else, they have caused a great number of Australian workers to display a healthy curiosity as to the inner workings of their own unions. This cannot do otherwise than increase the efficiency of some unions, while it may well have the effect of eliminating most persistent statement by the unionist “man in the street" concerns the relatively large percentage of Communists among the union officials as compared with the percentage in the rank-and-file. These officials occupy a position which is unassailable provided that they can prevent a combination of an overwhelming mass of moderates. Here a union comprising hundreds of moderates or non-political workers has its policy determined by a handful of Communists in key positions. Common methods of maintaining the hold are illustrated in the dictum: You cannot criticise the trade union you belong to or those who run it.” The first vigorous action taken by the growing opposition has occured in the Clerks' Union as the formation of an underground committee of 20 pledged to purge the union of Communist control. They challenged the payment of LouU to the men on strike at Port Kembla on the grounds that the strike was an unlawful one and that the union was not entitled to spend its members money supporting lawbreakers. “Disruptive Activities” The names of none of the members of the underground committee are known to the Communist members of the Central Executive, but seven men who spoke at the meeting are summoned to appear before the executive to-night. They are charged with disruptive activities” and called on to show cause whether they should not be fined, suspended or expelled. _ A sentence of expulsion means outlawry from the industry m the same way as ex-communication in the Middle Ages meant outlawry from society. The offending clerks are said to have ‘'carried out political and sectarian activities within the union in contravention of its policy of if being nonpolitical and non-sectarian.’ Actually the struggle to assert democratic methods against tyranny in any form is a political struggle. The Premier, Mr. W. J. McKell, recently called on the industrial movement to purge itself of the “cankerous growth” which threatened to destroy democratic trade unionism in Australia. This is why to-night's trial will be closelv watched by every union man in the country. It is the first clash between the two ideas of unionism. {Jate-crasliiiig Attempt

The clerks are not alone in the struggle, as was evidenced last night when the police were called in to prevent members of the Communist executive of the Ironworkers’ Union from gate-crashing a meeting of naval armament employees called to establish a breakaway movement from _ the union. Admission was by typewritten document. When the meeting was due to start about 10 uninvited union members arrived and demanded admission. They withdrew only after the arrival of the police. During the election of officers of the Australian Workers’ Union the Communists circulated a voting ticket but failed to win a single major office. The re-elected Federal vice-president for New South Wales, Mr R. W. Wilson, said: “This should be a lesson to trade union leaders who feel that appeasement is the only way to deal with the Communist machine. There is only one way to handle these wreckers — that is, to fight them.” In this it is evident that Mr. Wilson has a strong and growing body of opinion behind him.