The State and Wage Bargaining

Government intervention in wage bargaining has been with us since 1894. It has consistently been employed to the same purpose. It removes the union's strongest weapon — united strike action — and instead forces unions to rely on "expert" negotiators who put their case in a modern version of a three ring circus. These negotiators are made to work with the 'independent' arbitrator and are forced to accept his/her decision.

The "social control" of state-appointed arbitration (which incidentally must keep the 'national interest' as its prime concern) precisely 'regularises' and 'normalises' capitalism. It weakens working class organisation by removing the strike as a negotiating tool and by encouraging talkers rather than doers to become union officials. It wins new allies for the bourgeoisie by integrating union officials into the state apparatus.

Many union leaders, including those in the SUP, indirectly encourage this process through their fear of developing rank and file action in support of their demands. They would rather, as Ken Douglas informed the Masterton South Rotarians recently, treat "people as people " and forget class antagonism — even though this antagonism is growing daily as the bourgeosie tries to off load its crisis onto the backs of the working class. Douglas, in his speech which was reported in the Wairarapa Times Age on 12/4/78 went even further and invited the assembled employers etc. that "if you want to do anything about industrial relations, forget about Trades Hall." That would certainly get rid of that 'destructive' union-employer relationship — but to whose advantage? Treating "people as people" is all right if you start on even terms — but in capitalist society this is never the case.

As processes such as the re-introduction of the Arbitration Court weaken working class organisation the Government will start moving closer to the position where it feels strong enough to use its overt repressive legislation. It is no doubt encouraged in this direction by the growing right ward drift of New Zealand society. The right assault on the national student union is only the tip of a very large ice-berg.