OFFICIAL LABOR MANIFESTO.

NZ Truth, Issue 437, 8 November 1913, Page 6

OFFICIAL LABOR MANIFESTO.

To the People of New Zealand

Tho United Federation of- .Labor issues the following otnaal stutemcnt for public information, and for the purposes of , enabling tho people of Now Zeatund to t\x tbo responsibility, for the continuance of the present crisis. The Federation assures the people of its earne.st desire to brlnjc the cri»i» to «»» end, and, while admitting that the stop-work meeting of wateri.ltlerw 4 which was one of the coiitributmtr causes, w«.»» a breach of tlu* agreement, it respectfully jt.*j*(« that ,the7>*ilul'i»sue just now is tv

restore peace and order. This end the Federation has done all m its power to secure, it appeals, to those who may incline to the opinion that' it should -make further concessions, to bear m mind tbat the delegates have to consider the temper of the men they represent, as well as' the honor of the delegates and^of the organisation. PROPOSALS SUBMITTED. - "At the" conference just concluded the following alternative proposals were submi tted byY- the -t Federation for consideration:— V That all waterside workers ; shall at once resume work oh the same condi tions. as thoser obtaining prior tp the ' cessation of work, and that, a Conference be.' held immediately between the shipping companies and the other - parties concerned for the purpose of drafting a new agreement; In the alternative the delegates submitted the following:— That the present national agreement be extended for a period, to. be. arranged from date, to . coyer the waterfronts . of the Do- , minion with:, a penally (to-'^be arranged) for stoppage of work^ as defined by clause 2S of the agreement. In the event of the employers accepting either of the foregoing proposals, tluc Federation was (and is) also prepared to agree. to the following additional clause;— That before any union -can' create a stoppage ■ot work,- the question at issue'" shall 1 be '- submitted to the United Federation of Labor, whichY body shall con- ; ' for, - with the employers ; in order to secure a final settlement', tho : United Federation erf f Labor' do- ' j '■ ■ ing '■' all m its power -to ' e ) nf6rce w ] ■'- the terms of the agreement. ] t[ Unfortunately, ,tlie employers re-'i 1 fuse , to entertain .._ any of the foregoing proposals, but --they insist upon a condition- (to, be hereinafter referred to) which is impossible of acceptance. ~ '"' '*'.. " ' Had the foregoing proposals with rcsliect -to th 6 waterside dilliculty been Itccepted, 'the • delegates 7 were prepared to .submit _'t he following proposal witii' a 'view to .securing a settlement of- the Huntly 'strike: — ' That three representatives front 7 the employers and three from the workers be set up as a tribunal, Mr. Evans, S.M., presiding, to inquire into the alleged victimisation' of employees, the findings of the tribunal to be final. In the event of the tribunal, finding that there was discrimination, the men dismissed to be re-en-, gaged when the mine resumes. The Federation respectfully submits that the foregoing offers the opportunity for an honorable conclusion to the existing hapless condition of affairs. ' COMPULSORY CONCILIATION. The failure of negotiations is duo entirely to the employers insisting on the workers forming unions under the Industrial, Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The Federation submits that this attitude is unreasonable, and impossible of fulfilment. \ ' Tho Industrial, Conciliation and Arbitration Act is a permissive statute. In order to come under its provisions, workers must form themselves into industrial unions, but neither the Act itself nor its principle of free institutions requires that registration should be anything other than a voluntary act on the part of the workers, Tho statute requires (sco section 5)" that a condition precedent to registration is that a majority of members must pass a resolution io favor of registration. Con it be imagined , that a majority of watersiders will, m meeting assembled, vote against their convictions at the bidding of the- employers ? The Federation can only soy that it has no jurisdiction to give, an undertaking that a majority' ol* workers m any given industry will pass a resolution m 1 accordance with an agreement nrriv- | ed at between" its delegates and the ' employers. To suggest such a poj sition amounts to compelling a majority to vote against, their convictions. The Federation can only repeat that it has no power to do anything of the kind, and that it would be an outrage on the spirit of frco institutions to make the,attempt. In this connection the ' Federation would "point oxH, that tho Wellington "Waterside Workers cancelled registration under the. Act. on January 30. LOU. on which occusion 10J8 votes wero rast. m favor of cancellation, and s>rf against. Cancellation, like registration, can only be brought about, by the system of procedure prescribed by* the statute itself. The policy of the sfcatut* is clearly opposed io compulsory l-regis-tration, because, (see section at) the j statute prcicrilx* the mode by which ] cancellation it. to bo carried out, j and any industrial untou cancelling j its registration is acting strictly within the ambit of the statute and ! its own inherent constitutional j riuhts. j The only rca.sou given for th*' af-ti- | tude of Lhe employers is that they \ require home security thnt the eon- | ditions prescribed by the agreement shall be observed. In reply, the j Fedora tion submits:-— First, that, the end houpht for can bo fully Hpcunil by the provision of a penalty clause, to which the Federation is willing to agree. Secondly, tlu: Federation would point out thai registration under tho Industrial, Conciliation mid Arbttration Act offers at least no better security, at any rate when registration is comiHilsory. In proof of this, it directs public attention iv the case of Huntly. There an Arbitration union was formal by a minority of workers, and. acting on the counsel of their legal i»dv»H.<r. the men decided, though roluctnnt.lv. to fall lv with the new arr.i .*.« ments. and join the now union. There has been a strong undercurrent of dis-si.tivfacUon, but the workers accepted the situation, although their legal advisor expressed the opinion that 11 number of tbe provisions of the now agreement were (and aro) ultra vires, and conseqtiently unenforceable. Notwlthstundlag the attempt on the part of the workers to adapt themselves to a situation which was decidedly distasteful to the majority of their number, a strike has now been precipitated. The Huntly strikers arc honestly of opinion that a number of their ropn*entatlv« men bwvu been systematically victimised, and »»r---cordinu'ly they havo deliberately decided to' incur the penult ie> t.riwcrlbed for striking. Could there be stronger proof In support of the Federation's contention that registration under the Arbitration Act I San. give &o «*.urUy,. at least, .ujttfe**^

a majority of the workers concerned are in' favor of registration '? NO FAULT OF THE FEDERATION The .Federation has used its best endeavors to terminate the dispuie, and is still willing that every reasonable safeguard should be taken against a 'recurrence of any breach of agreement. It. cannot, however, do the impossible. It cannot undertake to compel its members to vote" agaihs,t their will m favor of a system which; they have deliberately but lawfully cast aside, and while regretting the continuance of the existing industrial upheaval, it submits that it cannot reasonably be expected to go further towards securing 'its" termination. . (Signed, oh behaif , of . the executive), l "' W. T. Young, president. P. H. Hickev, secretary-treasurer. November -l, 1913.