THE H.B. TRIBUNE MONDAY, JUNE, 25, 1928. TRADE UNION SECRET BALLOTS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 163, 25 June 1928, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE MONDAY, JUNE, 25, 1928. TRADE UNION SECRET BALLOTS

JT may be worth our noting here that, while the maritime cooks’ strike in Australia was throwing the whole sea-transport of the Commonwealth out of gear, the Federal Parliament was discussing a new industrial arbitration measure designed, among other things, to prevent just such occurrences. A prominent feature in the Bill was one providing for the taking of secret ballots among trade union members under outside official direction. It is very generally believed that had such a ballot been taken among the members of the cooks’ union there would have been no strike, as a big majority of the members were entirely against any such movement at the time. As it was, however, the whole body of members were gradually committed to it by their leaders with the uncompromising Mr. Tudehope at their head, while thousands of other organised workers were also thrown out of work as a consequence of the shipping being laid up. Despite frequent such happenings as this in Australia it would appear that the Labour members in the Federal Parliament offered the most determined opposition to the clauses dealing with secret ballots. Seeing how often the majority have been dragged unwillingly into troubles of this sort, it seems strange that their political representatives should be against a measure which would ensure the will of the majority being properly ascertained and carried out. On the face of it, it seems to be an eminently democratic provision that should commend itself to those who claim to be guided by democratic principles. As a matter of fact, the Australian Labour Party has upon its platform a declaration in favour of a very similar proposal applied to the highest representative institution in the land. The “referendum, initiative, and recall” is a feature of the Labour programme, and has been for years. It aims at giving the electors a far more direct control of their representatives and of Parliament than is provided by the elections every three years. This it is proposed

to effect by a provision that a certain number of voters may call for a referendum on any subject of immediate interest. Yet when the Federal Government proposes to incorporate such a provision in the laws governing Trades Unionism, the cries of the Labour politicians go up to high heaven. No doubt the outcry would be louder still were there any proposal made which might have the effect of interfering with the secrecy of the ballot at parliamentary elections or even at those for local bodies. The inconsistency is obvious.

We have some notion here as to what happens to the trade unionist who does not fall into line with the rest when a “down-tools” order has been issued by an executive. But it is nothing to the fate of a similarly dissenting unionist in Australia, where at times absolute terrorism has been known to reign. The fact, of course, is that the secret ballot will give more power to the conciliatory element and take some away from the leaders and the politicians and the wire-pullers and the wardbosses. That is why these gentlemen speak so loudly for the trampled rights of the toilers to manage their own affairs. They see power going from them. The truth is that the domination by small groups in the trade-union movement in Australia to-day, with the trampling on the rights of minorities ,and the veiled terorrism which goes on against any faction or group suspected of “heresy,” demands, for the sake of unionism, just that proposal of a secret ballot which is now being provided by the Australian Government. Nor would it be by any means an unwise precaution to adopt in our country. Though we do not suffer quite so frequently as does Australia from industrial troubles, they come quite often enough for us to wish they were still fewer, and that end would undoubtedly be served by properly conducted secret ballots.