UNRULY ELEMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 195, 19 July 1939, Page 8

UNRULY ELEMENTS

trade union problem. DISCUSSION IN HOUSE. (Bv Telegraph—Special to Standard.) U ' b W ELLINGTON, July 19. One of the problems of trade unions relates to militant groups who uork within the organisation and encoinago defiance of the Arbitration Act. It was suggested to the Minister of Labour (Hon. P. C. Webb) when tho amendment of the Act was being passed in the House, yesterday afternoon, that he should give some power to unions to deal with Communistic elements and others who pursued wluteant” tactics in the organisations to the general detriment of industrial relations. _ ~ „ “l a clause to deal with it, replied Mr YVebb, “but the law draftsman found great difficulty ill drafting such a clause which would prevent iniustice being done.” Air W. J. Poison: It is very unP The Alinister: Yes, and I think members will have an opportunity or voting on it before the session ends. The former Alinister of Labour (Hon. 11. T. Armstrong) expressed the opinion that unruly elements in the. unions who were responsible for stoppages from time to time would bring about the destruction of the movement if they were allowed to go unchecked. Air AY. J. Broadfoot: Could they r.of bo ejected from the union? The Minister: No. The chances arc that the Alinister of Labour will bring down legislation later in the session. We have discussed this \ery thing. When I was Minister of Labour I pointed out that we should expel these people, but when we did expel them what would happen. Take the case of the Seamen s Union on the AVest Coast, where two ships were held up. The men were told by the union to take the ships to sea and they refused to do it. The un : on expelled them from membership for not carrying out the directions of the union. They brought a claimfor damages against the union in the Supreme Court and mad- the union pay lieavv damages, in addition to w Inch it- had to readmit them to membership. There is a union penalised tor "xpelling members acting in defiance of the law and of the union itself. Other unions are r.ot going to follow that union.