Minister Insists On Plebiscite Of Members Of Union

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22915, 6 April 1949, Page 8

Minister Insists On Plebiscite Of Members Of Union

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, April 6. The following letter was sent last night by the Minister of Labour, Mr. A. McLagan, to the secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union:

“I am in receipt of your letter of April 5 conveying the resolution passed by your national executive today. “In my letter to you of March 31 1 called attention to your union’s failure to honour its undertaking to accept and abide by the decisions of the Waterfront Industry Authority. I pointed out that this dishonouring of your union’s pledge was undermining the basis on which commission control of the waterfront was founded and I asked that a plebiscite vote of your members be taken to ascertain if they wanted commission control to continue on the understanding that the union’s pledge would be honoured. “Your assertion that this is Interference in your union’s affairs and an attempt to usurp the functions of the Waterfront Industry Authority is the veriest nonsense and will not mislead anybody. “In view of your claim that your union is democratic, it is difficult to understand your obvious reluctance to take a secret ballot of your members on the question of whether your union’s pledge is to be kept or not. Surely officials of a democratic union would welcome such an opportunity to prove how truly they represent the views of their members, Can it be that your executive is doubtful of the result of such a ballot? Members’ View Wanted "I note that the policy of your union, as determined by your national council, is for a continuance of commission control, but would remind you that it is not the opinion of your national council that is desired on that matter —it is the views of jhe members of your union as a whole that are of real importance and it is precisely those views which your executive appears to be reluctant to obtain.

“The public will be interested in your executive’s confession of its deliberate refusal to accept and abide by the decision of the Waterfront Industry Authority in the Northumberland dispute, but it will not think very highly of your attempt to throw the responsibility for that breach of faith upon the Federation of Labour.

“In answer to your enquiry as to what other decisions of the Waterfront Industry Authority your union has disobeyed, I need only remind you that it is the very essence of the Waterfront Industry Authority’s decisions that work shall be continued on the waterfront without any unauthorised stoppages. The long list of such stoppages enumerated in my letter to you of March 31 shows repeated disobedience of the authority’s decision. Former Resolution

“Furthermore, I would remind you of the following resolutions carried by your Auckland branch on Friday. February 11 after its members had been addressed on the subject by your national president, Mr. Barnes, and your national vice-president, Mr.tDrennan: “‘(1.) This branch resolves, as an immediate protest at the Waterfront Industry Authority’s farcical decision on our wages claims, that no work be performed until 8 a.m. on Monday.’ “’(2.) Further, we request an immediate meeting of the national executive in order to secure a just decision on our claims for an increase.’

“The resolutions were reported to the press by the secretary of your Auckland branch. These resolutions can hardly be unknown to your national executive. “That being the manner in which your union’s undertaking has been observed, what value can be attached to your executive’s latest undertaking to continue on those lines?

“It is precisely because the Government is desirous of having an undertaking of real value that it has publicly asked for the views of your union’s members on this matter. This letter also is being handed to the press.”