A CHALLENGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22627, 15 January 1937, Page 10

A CHALLENGE

WHO SHALL GOVERN? MINISTER SPEAKS OUT MEN STRONGLY CRITICISED OPINION OF SECRETARY [IIY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] WEMiINGTON. Thursday "It is a challenge to (In- Government as to who shall govern, and we may have to face that issue," said the Minister of Labour, Hon. H. T. Annstrong, when referring to the action of the men involved in the. Auckland freezing workers' dispute. The Minister said ho had wired to the representative of the workers, Mr. \V. 10. Sill, urging the men to resume work if they wished the negotiations which were taking place between the employers and himself to continue.

"I have not been consulted by the Auckland Freezing Workers' Union, which is controlled by Mr. Sill, either in respect to the trouble which took place before Christmas or in the present dispute," said the Minister. "Furthermore, the union has not consulted my department. Abortive Conference "When the 'go-slow' operations "'ere commenced before Christmas, 1 advised the men to resume normal work. This they did, and 1 immediately got in touch with the employers and arranged a conference between the two parties. This conference was held on January (3, but it evidently proved abortive. "If I had had to depend on Mr. Sill, I would never have been told what really happened," Mr. Armstrong continued. "i learned the result of the conference by getting in touch with Mr. Ij. Clover, who is the representative of the freezing workers, and when I found out the result I opened up further negotiations with the employers. "These negotiations resulted in, a conference being arranged between the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. W. Leo Martin, the executive of the freezing companies throughout the Dominion and myself. The conference has now been held up by the 'stay-in' development. Lack ol Confidence

"(Everything seemed to be goin<i on nicely, and L was very hopeful of bringing about a settlement, but the whole position has suddenly been changed by the attitude of the men. "The position is simply this," the Minister added. "If the men have not sufficient confidence in the Government or myself to complete the negotiations entered into with the employers, I cannot help them. They have ignored everyone." The Minister said a deputation from the Dairy Board had waited on him today expressing concern at dairy products being held up by the development at Auckland. It was pointed out that coo] stores were already fairly full, and that it would be a serious matter if no more produce could be stored in them. The board had offered to co-operate wi\'i the' Government in every way to bring about a settlement.

"MAY ACT SUDDENLY"

ATTITUDE OF GOVERNMENT "As far as I am concerned, it seems impossible to do anything while this present position continues," said the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, when speaking by telephone from Wellington last night regarding the freezing workers' dispute. The Minister repeated that ho was waiting for a reply from the secretary of the union before taking further action. He would not call any conference together again until he heard what the men were going to do.

Asked what line the Government would take if the men continued their "stay-in" tactics. Xlr. Armstrong said: "That remains to be seen. We might act pretty suddenly, and, in that case, wo will tako what action we deem necessary." RETORT BY MR. SILL ATTITUDE OF MINISTER LACK OF SYMPATHY ALLEGED "I am not going to be browbeaten by any Minister, not even Mr. Armstrong. I deny that I was responsible for the present situation, and if Mr. Armstrong has not sufficient intelligence to see that, the best thing he could do would be to go on strike himself." These statements, among others, were made by Mr. W. E. Sill, secretary to the Auckland Freezing Workers' Union, after a meeting of the Westfield men yesterday. His comments, he said, were made in rebuttal of imputations by the Minister of Labour, that he was responsible for the stay-in of freezing workers.

Mr. Sill refused to say whether the telegram sent to him by the Minister contained the injunction that tho men should at once return to work, so that a conference could be arranged among the employers and delegates from the union.

"I have nothing to say about that." he said, "but you can say this: In all my experience of strikes and Labour troubles, 1 and the men in tho union .1 represent have had more sympathy from previous Ministers of Labour than we have had from Mr. Armstrong. "It Is quite untrue to say I was responsible for the present situation. As a matter of fact, I advised the men of fbe consequences of their proposed action. T admit 1 did not actively oppose the men in the line they proposed to follojv. Several of the men's delegates afterward confirmed Mr. Sill's statement that he was not responsible for the decision to stay-in. "We take strong exception to the Minister's attack upon tiie union secretary," they • said, "especially as he did his best to persuade us not to do what we have done."

STAY-IN TACTICS

APPLICATION ABROAD Stay-in tactics have never been adopted in industrial disputes in New Zealand before the present freezing works trouble, according to men in teres lerl in industrial matters. The policy is n comparatively recent development in overseas strikes. Although the stay-in strike is generally believed to have been invented in France, becoming general in recent industrial troubles in that country, there were stay-in strikes before that, or. perhaps more correctly, stay-down strikes, in coal mines in both Hungary and Poland. Welsh miners recently adopted the. principle, some of them suffering intense privations during their sojourn below, and in America there is now a stay-in strike in the motor industry. In that country, however, it is known as a "sit-down" strike. The stay-in tactics in the freezing works arc not, however, associated with an 'actual strike. The men were paid off because they persisted in going slow.