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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 39, Number 14, 5 July 1976.
[Introduction]
While Bill Rowling and his Labour Party hacks are making fine speeches in Parliament, trade union officials and the workers they represent are bracing themselves for the expected rash of repressive legislation being drawn up behind the doors of the Labour and Justice Departments by the Muldoon Government.
Mr Muldoon and his hatchet man, Peter Gordon, have never made any bones about their opinions on unions, and early next month they will put them into practice when they introduce their industrial legislation into the House.
Wellington Drivers' Union organiser, Pat Kelly, appeared on Television Two's news last Tuesday night to spell out the amendments being planned for Labour's Industrial Relations Act.
- make all strikes illegal except strikes during award negotiations
- define go slows, work to rules, overtime bans and partial or complete withdrawl of labour for any purpose as strikes.
- give anyone who claims to be directly or indirectly affected by a planned or actual strike the right to apply for a court order (injunction) to stop the strike. Under this power, the Government could have prevented the recent trade union march on Parliament.
- create "key" industries (such as freezing works and the waterfront) and "public interest" industries (which can be defined by the Government at any time) Unions in "key" and "public interest" industries will have to give four days notice of a strike in any month. Workers on strike in a "public interest" industry can be ordered to start working again immediately Under this power the Government could have stopped the recent strikes by electricity workers.
- give any employer the right to apply to the Industrial Court for a "bans" clause to be put in any agreement on wages and conditions. A "bans" clause means that workers may not strike for any purpose at all. The Industrial Court can make the final decision on its own.
- give the Government power to debar union officials (down to job delegate) from holding a union position if their union takes part in an illegal strike.
- count any informal or non-vote in a ballot on voluntary unionism as a vote in favour of voluntary unionism.
On the same programme the Minister of Labour, Peter Gordon, confirmed these features of the bill except the point about voluntary unionism, which he denied. His casual attitude toward the proposed amendments was disappointing if not alarming.