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Tion on the Role of the Trade Unions in the Political Arena and on the Relationship Between the Trade Unions and the Government

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Tion on the Role of the Trade Unions in the Political Arena and on the Relationship Between the Trade Unions and the Government • n1ons an ea an by * JOHN DEEKS INTRODUCTION A number of recent events in New Zealand have focused public atten­ tion on the role of the trade unions in the political arena and on the relationship between the trade unions and the government. These events have included the unions' interest or pressure group concerned pri­ reaction to the 1976 wage and price freeze marily with the economic well-being of its and to government proposals to change the members. A number of unions, however, basis of union membership,1 protests over and many union members, will have broad­ the arrival of nuclear ships in New Zealand er social objectives linked to varying waters, and the placing of 'green bans' on political philosophies. In some of these commercial land oevelopment projects. In philosophies, as in syndicalism for example, oarticular, in the Commerce Amendment Act the trade union has been viewed as a 1976 the National Party government intro­ revolutionary body that would become the duced a series of provisions governing cornerstone of a new society. We can accept stnkes and lockouts 'contrary to the public some distinction, therefore, between 'econ­ interest.· These prov1s1ons. characterised in omic unionism' and 'political unionism.' the daily press as pu ntttve legislation Eccnomic unionism gives primacy to econ· against 'political' strikes, attempt to limit omic goals and the economic union is union action to 'industrial' matters as oppos­ involved in politics only in so far as such ed to 'political' matters and to prohibit any involvement is seen to be necessary to pro­ strikes or lockouts that are deemed, either tect the existence of the union organisation dtrectly or indirectly, to coerce the govern­ or to secure improvements in the wages, ment. Such legislation ratses a number of salaries and workinq... conditions of union questions of principle concerntng the rights members. Politico! unionism, in contrast, is of trade unions and other pressure groups also concerned with political objectives within a democratic society, and a number such as the successful placement of union of definitional problems. This article argues candidates in parliamentary or public offices, that trad e union economic objectives i nevi t­ and the political union, whilst carrying on ably and increasingly bring unions into economic functions on behalf of its mem­ political issues, and that government bers, is nevertheless prepared on occasion attempts to confine trade union activities to to subordinate those economic functions to employer-emplovee relationships at the a wider political purpose. It is argued2 that industry or at the workplace level are doom­ a political union has a number of distinctive ed to failure. At the same time the article characteristics: it requires ideological con­ attempts to clarify the nature of the political formity amongst its leadership; its leaders activity that trade unions engage in. spend most of their time in political opera­ Forms of Unionism and Political Activities tions and discussions; it frequently uses of Trade Unions direct mass action in support of non­ It is necessary to accept that in a demo­ industrial objectives; its goals are broad cratic society a trade union is a legitimate and may include the revamping of the major • JOHN OEEKS Is Senior Lecturer In lnduatrlal Relatione, Department of Management StudiH, Unlve,..lty of Auckland. 1-See Wilson, M., 'Union Membership in New Zealand : An Assessment of Government Policy' N.Z. Journal of Industrial Relations, May 1976, pp. 9-1 4. ' 2-See Millen, B .. H. !n RE H ~U~, C. M. and McLAUGHLIN, D. B. {eds), Labor and American Polltlca Ann Arbor: The Un1vers1ty of M1ch1gan Press, 1967. p. 14 ' 9 rules governing society: aild it is prepared governments and political parties, and refer­ to temporarily abandon economic objectives ences to political activity on the pa rt of in the hope of winning political power. trade unions commonly refer e1the r to the Trade unionism in New Zealand is prim­ nomination of candidates for public offtce arily an economic rather than a political or to efforts to lobby for legislation or form of unionism. This is not to say that government action that is favourable to the there are no ideologically committed unions unions' economic objectives. Where there or union members with a v1sion of some are links between the unions and political alternative social system. Rather it is a part1es they are not necessanly only with descriptive statement about the dominant the social1st or social democratiC parties pract1ce of trade unionism in New Zealand In West Germany for example, the DGB as reflected in the activities of union offic­ (Deutsche Gerwerkschaftsbund, the central ials and job delegates and by the wishes trade un1on organtsat10n) supplies a sub­ of the majority of union members. H av~ng stantial number of MPs not only to the made this distinctton between k~nds of trade Social Democratic Party but also to the unions in terms of the end goals that unions Christian Democrats and one of the DGB pursue, it is necessary also to consider the vice-presidents is regularly elected from nature of the political activities that un1ons, ihe Chnst1an Democrats wtthtn the union whether economic or political, may pursue organisat1on.s In New Zealand the most as means to the achievement of those goals. common form of polit1cal activity engaged Certain kinds of political activity may be in by the trade unions is probably lobbying just as necessary to a union pursuing econ­ In th1s they are no different from numerous omic goals as to a union pursuing pol1t1cal other sect1onal 1nterest groups - business goals. We cannot, therefore, JUdge the and professional groups, consumer groups. nature of the un1on1sm by reference merely educational, environmental, recreational and to the political activities that the union finds cultural groups - who try to influence the itself engaged upon. Political un1onism is direction of central or local government defined by reference to ends, but political policy in various ways. Such groups can act1v1ty, that is "activity designed to per­ and do have political influence without nec­ suade by a variety of means the public, essarily having or seek~ng pol1t1cal power. political parties and governments that parti­ Their relative influence shifts w1th changes cular act1on is e1ther desirable or other­ in the s1ze of their membership and the Wise, '' can be ident1hed independently of extent to which they can achieve a sym­ any labelling of particular objectives as pathetic response from the wider public 'political' or 'Industrial '3 Thus, 1n the Un1ted The practice of the lobby and pressure States, for example, organised labour has group politics rertects the princ1ple that a always been Involved in political act1v1ty minonty group 1n a democratic soc1ety has and yet has been characterised as "busi­ a right to seek to influence public policy­ ness un1omsm making and to seek redress for grievances. The k1nds or political activities which In this respect the lobby is a component unions engage in may cover a broad spec­ part of a participatory democracy and in trum. Unions may be directly linked to oppos1t1on to the concept of democracy as political parties. In the United Kingdom, for delegated power in which the winning of a example the trade unions supply the bulk parliamentary maJority is taken as a blank of the Labour Party's income and most of cheque for whatever pol1cies the VICtorious the Party s special election campaign funds party set out in its election man1t~sto.6 and they control the maJority or the votes Indeed the denial of recognition for the at the Party's annual conferences In addi­ rights of minority groups is likely to 1ncrease tion many unions in the United K~ngdom their recourse to direct action methods of sponsor members of parliament.4 Unions in Influencing political decisions. the United States, in contrast, have tradi­ Trade unions in New Zealand as else­ tionally been independent of direct links to where have always been involved in political 3-MAY, T. C, Trade Un ions and Pressure Group Politics, Lex1ngton : D. C Heath and Co, 1975 4-See RICHTER. 1., Political Purpose in Trade Unions, London : George Allen and Unw m 1973 for des~ cription of the Eng1neers' Un1on programme • · 5-JACOBS, E., European Trade Unionism , London Croom Helm. 1973 6-See LASKI, H. J . Trade Unions In the New Society, New York: V1k1ng Press. 1949, p. 170. 10 ctnd economic activity of a direct action has been tho growth of government employ­ kind from time to time. Symbolic action ment and the correspondinQ expansion of programmes of marches, rallies and par­ the membership and power of the state ades are part of the history of trade union­ services unions. particularly the Public ism and the direct action weapons of the Service Association. Thus there has been strike, the boycott, the sit-in, the work-to­ a government-union confrontation of an rule, the go-slow, have been used for a employer-employee kind, part of the collec­ vat iety of purposes. In 1976, for example, tive bargaining process in the public sector. the New Zealand Federation of Labour Secondly, there has been the growing called a series of stop-work meetings attempt of government to control wages around the country to protest about the and salaries as part of economic policy, government's handling of cost-of-living usually for some short-term economic or issues and to rally opposition to govern­ political convenience but generally dressed ment proposals to change the legislation on up with claims to be part of an overall union membership. In January 1977 the economic strategy. This is most obvious in Auckland Trades Council placed a 'green the various forms of incomes policy and ban' on su bdivision work at Bastion Point wage restraint that governments in the in order to delay a development project Western world have tried to negotiate or that many interest groups thought was impose as a means of combating inflation.
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