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"BEDTIAGGERB" IN TRADES
UNIONS.
"Unionist" •writes to The Sydney Morn
ing -Herald:—"As one who nu presided
over many union meetings, I feel I may be
able to add a useful word or two on this
subject. My union may be taken as typical
of the skilled, trades' organisations. Our
membership runs to "about 2,000, of which
1,800 members live in the city and suburbs.
Our business is done by means of general
meetings, held monthly.' The average at
tendance at these meetings iB about 60 or
70. Of this total 10 or 15 will, be extrem
ists, out to make trouble if possible; about
a score more will be more or less faithful
followers of the 'redrag*. group; while the
balance will consist of a few sturdy old
unionists of the old type; a few men per
sonally interested in the business of the
evening; and some casuals. In our union
the 'redrag' section has never yet got con
trol of the executive offices, though their
attempts to dictate to and bully the offi
cers, per means of packed or weak general
meetings, have frequently held up practi
cally all business for weeks. Whether wc
will continue to hold off the firebrands, or
whether the I.W.W.-ism, with which, the
Trades Hall is just now seething, is going
to be too much for our older bands, - re
mains to be seen. But the. point I want
to make is this—That the system of doing
union business by means of general meet
ings is out of date and bad. The complaint
that men will not attend the general meet
ings is common to most, if not ell, the
unions. Circulars appealing to every mem
ber to attend are ignored by about SO per
cent, of the men. And properly so, too, for
why should men, tired after their day's
work, be. dragged fronr their homes and re
creations to listen to dreary wrangles in
hot, ill-ventilated, smoke-filled meeting
rooms? But, supposing all the.members
did. perchance attend, first of all where
would they find accommodation, and,"
secondly, how much business is going to be
done by meetings of up to several thousand
men? No, the general meeting may be
democratic all right, and it may have been
satisfactory at one time, but under modern
conditions it is no longer democratic in
practice, and is a danger and menace not
only to unionists but to the State. It may
be thought that unionists should see the
point, and alter their rules accordingly;
but any one who has had much inside ex
perience . will appreciate the difficulty of |
altering old-estahlisbcd union practices,
particularly where strong interests are in
volved, and an old fetish has to he at
tacked. I therefore throw out the sugges
tion that this is a matter for investiga
tion by some competent authority, with a
view to legislative enactment. Other mat
ters requiring investigation and possibly
regulation are use of the ballot, election of
officers, and statin, permanency, and pay
of the General Secretary. The position of
this latter official in unions where lie iB
subject to annual election is difficult for
himself and dangerous to the State. For
the sake of votes he must pander to every
discontented member, and for the sake of
popularity he must repeatedly lead the hue
and cry m cases which his experience tells
him are doubtful or even altogether bad.
If in the future the unions are going to
take what they think is their due liy some
thing like main force from the community,
perhaps safety will lie in ensuring that
what they attempt is roaHv the wish of
large numbers of decent working men, and
not something that has been foia'cd on
them by a small gang of I.W.W.'s., youths,
and wasters."
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