UNION FEES

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22470, 4 January 1943, Page 2

UNION FEES

; Collection Refused Stand By Hamilton Local Body A request that the Hamilton Borough Council should collect union fees from some of its employees was refused at a meeting of the Council. The Borough engineer, Mr J. R. Baird, reported that he had received notice from the manpower ’ officer requiring him to deduct from the wages of six employees union fees which it was alleged they had failed to pay to the secretary of the Labourers’ Union. The manpower officer had stated that it was now impossible for the Council to dismiss men who were not members of the union. A regulation, however, had been passed to prevent men from evading payment of the union fees. Mr Baird said that two of the men claimed there was no union which provided for them and they refused to join the Labourers’ Union. The Council was therefore placed in a position of being required to extract money from its employees, which the latter considered was unjust. The Mayor, Mr H. D. Caro, said the statement was unfortunate but true and was the law. Mr W. R. Shattock said he thought it was iniquitous that local bodies should be required to collect union fees. He considered a strong protest should be made against the regulations. Mr C. Lafferty said that union secretaries should do the collecting themselves. Mr H. M. Hammond expressed the opinion that the Council should take a stand and invite proceedings. Mr T. G. Reynolds said that the Council should let the Government know that people objected to much of its legislation and the way it was brought down. The Council decided to refuse to collect the fees.