"GIVE UP THE STRIKE."

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 40, 15 February 1918, Page 7

"GIVE UP THE STRIKE."

MB KAVANAGH'S ADVICE. A number "of unions have broken awav from the Newcastle Trades and Council and joined th e Industrial Council. -Mr E. J. Jvavanagh, M.X..C., secretary to the New South .vales Labour Council, visited Newcastle last week to enquire into the position. When interviewed (says a Newcastle telegram to the SydneyMorning Herald), Mr Kavanagh referred to the trade-union movonient, and said that, although it was rapidly recovering from, the effects of the strike, it would- be a mistaken policy to pretend that all was well with it. The trade-union movement had, just before th e strike, attained a higher piiloacle than it had ever reached befor e in this i country. It was built tip by arbitration, after 27 years of hard work, but it was knocked down in 27 days through "direct action." Trade-unionism organised on arbitration lines, he continued, could not successfully use "direct action." Bis advice to the unions was to give up the strike or alter theil- system of organisation. The duty of bringing the trades-union movement back to its former position devolved' upon the Labour Council. The Trades and Labour Council in the last strike merely plaved second; fiddle to a committee that went out of existence before the strikb ended, and the council was left to bear the whole responsibility of providing relief for the wives and children of and non-members. Referring to the avoidance of strikes in the future, Mr said that much had been said regarding the action of unions which, whil 0 using the Arbitration Court, had adopted the strike as a means of settling their grievances. It could not be denied that in a few cases unions had, as it were, played with a- two-headed penny.. A careful examination of the causes of the strikes that had occurred during the last few years would show that at least nin e out °f every ten occurred in connection with matters over which the Court had no jurisdiction. suggestions made by the secretary (Mr E. J. Kavar.agh, M.L.C.), for the reorganisation of tli e *trade-union movement, was dealt with at a meeting of the New South Wales Trades and labour Council. on 31st January. The secretary suggested that all *he unions should b e grouped on lines of trade affinity. Such groups would- be formed into 'industrial federations, which in order to form a complete whole, should be linked up to, a State or Central Council. The State Council would be linked up to a Federal party by the formation of an Australian Labour Council. The secretary. added that the advocates of the one big union idea, if consistent, must support the scheme, for the reason that ,if ever their ideal, was to be realised it could only be by adoptinj such a scheme as the one he suggested as a first step. Sir O. Bryant (Australian Engineers) moved that a committee he appointed to go into the question of reorganisation. The motion was carried.

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