FREEZERS’ STRIKE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11247, 27 June 1922, Page 8

FREEZERS’ STRIKE

HOW IT WAS ENGINEERED RED FED. AND’ BOLSHEVIK AGIT.VEORB. THE AUSTRALIAN ELEMENT. Some interesting statements as to the activity of agitators in the recent strike happenings in North Canterbury have been secured by the “Lyttelton Times/’ According to various unionists, m'.ates the southern paper, the move was forced, by agitators in the face of opposition by prominent officials of the Cant erbury Union and the New Zealand ifreezmg Workers’ Federation. THE WORST AGITATOR. The worst agitator, one man stated, was an Australian, wiho arrived in the district about June 7th or Bth. On one of those dates a. meeting of workers was held at a North Canterbury works. A visiting, delegate addressed the men, and said: ‘'What we want is for all you men to cctme out in sympathy with the men standing down in the south because of the 5s reduction.’’ The Australian then got up, he stated, and said: “My friend believes in the sentimental war, buti I believe in the scientific way, and die scientific way is to find out what men hold the key to the position and call them out. Then we have tho tiring fixed up.” NO WORK FOR THE OTHERS. “The Australian,’’ said the Press informant, “meant the A if the butchers were called out that would be no work for the other men. A motion was put in favour of a strike, but an amendment was carried that the men should adhere to their formetr decision to continue work and put. a protest before the Arbitration Court later on. At the same meeting, someo;ne proposed a secret ballot, but one of the agitators said, ‘lf a man is nob game to express an opinion, he is not man.’ The next stage was the meeting in the Trades Hall, Christchurch, on Saturday, June 10th. About 200 men attended, of whom 150 were Red Feds. and Bolshevik Australians, most of them out of employment because of slackening down at Belfast, Kaiapoi, and Islington. They had nothing to lose, and they got the bit in their teeth and carried the day easily against the other fifty, who were helpless. They took the meeting into their own hands, and went dead against the wishes and advice of the president and officials of the Canterbury Union.” ’BRANDED AS “BLACKLEGS.”

Pickets were out a± the works on Monday, June 12th, he continued, and men were told that “down tools” had been decided on. Most of them were surprised and angry, but the agitators had had time to make plans. The men were spoken to individually, and persuaded to turn back. The strike was on in the following week, and that gave the Red Fed. element a big lever. The men knew that : if any of them went back to work they would be branded all over New Zealand and Australia as “blacklegs” or “scabs,” and that, in addition, they would be liable to fines for hairing gone on strike. These men knew by experience of 1913 what was in store for them if they returned to work. All the agitators had to da was to play on their feelings. The Government and the public did not know the might of the weapon handled by these agitators. It was the weapon of boycott, 6neer, and' slur, and it was used against women and children as well os against men. Little kiddies were taught to run next door and tell the neighbours’ kiddies their father was a “scab.” The cure was to abolish fines and imprisonment for striking, and to provide that if, during an agitation for a strike, ten members of a union signed a requisition for a secret ballot, that a secret ballot be conducted by an official appointed by the Minister for Labour. Every member would have the opportunity to vote, and if the result was in favour of a strike, then the Government could cauoel the registration of the union for twelve months, and let the re he free labour for that period. SECRET BALLOT: NO STRIKE. “Had a secret ballot been taken tliik time,” the man declared, “there would have been no strike. The strike movement would have been defeated, and the Bolsheviks would not have known who voted one way or the other. In the present case the men have been led astray. I blame the Australian element amongst the freezing workers for a big part of this strike. What do they care for this country P They’ll be. back home soon.”