EXECUTIVE RESIGNS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15558, 16 March 1914, Page 8

EXECUTIVE RESIGNS.

HOTEL EMPLOYEES' UNION.

CONTROL BY OLD BODY.

AX UNWELCOME CONSTABLE,

A gexkral meeting of the members of the ( recently-formed Union of Hotel Em- 1 ployees. held yesterday, re'ceived and ac- t cepted the resignations of the officers who { have had control of the union since its 1 formation. A majority of members of the new executive are either members of < or are sympathisers with the old Union i of Hotel and Restaurant Employees (the 1 union which went out on strike). i On Sunday, the Bth inst., a general ; meeting of members of the new union car- < ried a motion of no-confidence in the exe- 1 cutive, and a requisition was signed call- ' ing a special general meeting for the fol- < lowing Sunday. The meeting took place i yesterday in the Trades Hall, and was i attended lay between eighty and one hun- i dred persons. Eighteen members were represented by proxies. * The presence of a constable in the hall aroused a good deal of feeling. Mr. A. Rosser, acting as one of the trustees of . the building, and as a justice of the peace, ordered the unwelcome visitor off the premises. But the c&nstable, acting on instructions, refused to go away. The mem-' bers of the union then met formally, and adopted a resolution asking the constable to go away, and the constable, being then, ; satisfied that all was in order, left the hall. Mr. F. o'Flanagan, president of the new union, was chairman. At the commencement of the proceedings he announced that the resignations of the members of the executive had been handed in. It was decided that all persons not in possession of membership books should have no right to take part in the proceedings, and about 20 persons thereupon left the room. The decision of the meeting on this point was not questioned. Chairman Refuses a Motion. Mr. N. Solomon then proposed that all persons who had been admitted to the union on clearance, or who had received receipts for entrance fees, or who were in pes&ession of clearances from other unions, be admitted as members of the union. The chairman refused to accept the motion. It was moved, seconded, and carried that the chairman's ruling be disagreed with, and that the motion be regarded as acceptable. Mr. Solomon's motion was then put and carried. The position of the executive was £ jlly discussed, and it was resolved, almost unanimously, that the resignations be accepted. The chairman proceeded to address the meeting, and explain the reasons he aid his fellow officers had for resigning; but a member objected, and questioned the chairman's right to discuss a subject which had been finally dealt with by the acceptance of the resignations. The meeting proceeded to elect officers,, who will, subject to confirmation of the appointments by a general meeting to be held on Thursday evening, hold office for 12 months. Voting for candidates for the presidency was as follows —A. Jackson, 52; F. (/Flanagan, 38 (including the votes by proxy); —Goss, 2. Mr. R. Roebuck was elected vice-president, and Mr. F. Bauer treasurer. Among the seven members ot the committee elected were two men who were members of the executive which had just resigned. Some Interesting Possibilities. The policy which is to be followed by the union under the new executive was the subject of considerable discussion, and it is expected that a decision will be reached on Thursday evening. It is felt that it is useless to caTry on two unions controlled by men who are of the same mind on the principal questions involved. The change in the control of the " new" nnion gives rise to seme interesting possibilities. It will probably have a direct effect on the industrial dispute which has been heard by the Conciliation Commissioner, and sent on by him to the Arbitration Court in connection with the "old" union's application for a new award. The employers, when cited, declined to recognise the " old" union. They said that they had no dispute with their employees, who ; were members of the " new" union, and they (the employers) had a properly signed and registered agreement with the new | union. The " old" union then asked that the "new" union be joined as parties to '. the dispute—which application the execu- ' tive of the " new" union strongly resisted. > The present executive, however, is not , expected to raise any objection to the ap- . plication when the matter comes before the Arbitration Court shortly. The fate of the agreement between the ' licensed victuallers and the " new" union. i is a subject for speculation. There is a ; clause in the agreement which stipulates . that the agreement shall become null and void if legislation is passed at any time affect me it. An amendment of the Shops and Offices Act affecting certain clauses - came into effect in December last, and the i parties concerned met shortly afterwards , and reaffirmed the acreement. The new executive, however, claims that this was done without the authority of the union- | and carries no weight, and that the acreet ment is therefore nullified by the operat tion of the Shops and Offices Amendment 1 Act. 3 It is also claimed that one of the roles of the "new" union that no member can he admitted except by an absolutely " unanimous vote of the members, is ron , 1 trary to the spirit of the Arbitration Act l and will put the organisation in a bad , position in the Arbitration Court.