THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered tor transmission through the Post as a Newspaper SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 1947. The Industrial Secret Ballot

Northern Advocate, 6 September 1947, Page 6

THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered tor transmission through the Post as a Newspaper SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 1947. The Industrial Secret Ballot

The personnel of the Legislative Council assures the appearance on the Statute Book of the Government's Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill, which w*as passed by the House of Representatives yesterday. The bill as passed is much milder than that which was introduced with a flourish by the Government. The original amending bill stipulated that no strike could be called unless the members of the union concerned authorised it at a secret ballot; provision was also made for the infliction of heavy penalties upon leaders and officials of a union unless they could prove that they had not been responsible for the fomenting of a strike movement. The amended bill retains the principle of the secret ballot, which, if not taken voluntarily by the union concerned, may be conducted by the Registrar of Industrial Unions. Were action by the registrar mandatory the obstinacy of militant leaders might be defeated, but in view of the discretionary power given to the registrar and. through him, to

the Government, there is danger that men determined to hold up industry as a means of enforcing claims will 'oe tempted to take risks, especially in view of the non-provi-sion of monetary penalties. The Minister of Labour, Mr McLagan, holds that the machinery provided by the secret ballot clauses of the bill will allow the rank and file of industrial unions to reveal their attitude towards any strike proposal, a privilege denied them in the past, when decisions have invariably been made by show of hands. Emasculated though the amending bill may be, it should exercise a beneficial effect upon the conduct of industrial unionists, the majority of whom, it may be safely assumed, have no desire to use the strike weapon wantonly, but only as a last resort. At the same time the Government’s second thoughts which led to the amending of the original bill reveal reluctance to act along lines not approved by organised labour, despite the fact that appeasement has so far not borne the fruit hoped for.