Post-war situation in New Zealand under the Labour Government
A key political cause the 1951 Waterfront Dispute was the general dissatisfaction of Labour Government during and after the Second World War. The Labour Party was in office since 1936, a Peter Fraser had been New Zealand's war Prime Minister. He felt it was New Zealanders duty and obligation to support Britian in struggle against the Nazi Germany and during the War, he introduced military conscription, industry manpowering, comprehensive economic stabilization system and censorship laws. Despite the criticism from a section of society that Prime Minister Fraser's introduction of compulsary military contradicted his stand against military conscription and compulsary military training in the First World War, large sections of New Zealand accepted the military conscription New Zealanders generally accepted hardships and restrictions of the war yeas as necessary as fighting against facism. However, the Government's expanding the control over the lives of New Zealanders during the Second World War and actions to maintain similar regulations after the war had slowly turned away general support from the large sections of New Zealand society, who, after the war, demanded a "greater share in the spil of victory." (New Zealand History Online)
A key economical cause to the watersider workers' striking actions was the dissatisfaction at workplaces. Large number of New Zealanders fighing overseas had led to labour shortages at home. This led the workers, especially the waterside workers, staying behind taking on longer working hours. Peter Fraser established the Waterfront Control Commission (later Waterfront Industry Commission) in 1936, and it was an organization to run the wharves as the wharves had been a vital to the war effort. The Waterfront Control devised a system that closely monitored the labour shortages, working conditions and wage negotiations in the waterfronts nationwide. The Waterfront Control Commission's refusal to negotiate the working conditions and pay claims had led further dissatisfaction of waterside workers at workplaces. However, after the war, blooming economic conditions required extra labour power, and using this labour shortage in advantage, the unions such as the New Zealand Waterside Union, demanded for better pay and working conditions for the current waterside worker. However, all such pay claim were rejected by their employers and the government.
The waterside workers' dissatisfaction with their economical situation worsened with the increasing inflation. They felt that that the hardships and restrictions that the Government had put place during the wartime, was only getting worse now that the war was over. The waterside workers strongly believed that the state's failure to reform the working hours on the waterfront to their pre-war status was a huge mistake and sought to industrial actions to challenge the state on the growing dissatisfaction at workplace. |
Evidences of deteriorating living standardsAccording to a source, Redline, the author believes that the "war-time inflation and profiteering by bosses was undermining workers' living standards." (Redline) The author provided with the following statistics:
Broken promisesIn 1951, New Zealand had a population of 2 million, and approximately 8000 men worked the wharves nationwide. More than 5000 in one of the two World Wars. Many waterside workers felt betrayed by the Government's harsh, "ignorant" policies after years of service and hard works at waterfront, and waiting for the "better world", that they had been promised - and strongly believed that they deserved - after fighting 'for King and Country." (Coutt and Fitness, Protest in New Zealand)
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Another key political cause to the 1951 Waterfront Strike was the Labour Government's negative policy towards the waterside workers. While the Government was primarily concerned with helping Britain to recover in post-wartime years, Prime Minister Fraser also tried to minimize any changes to existing working conditions, and to keep wages and prices down. Prime Minister Frasers' stance against the watersiders' unions was evident when he told a union deputant in 1946; "the Government looks upon some of the leaders of the Watersiders' Workers Union as enemies of the government - deliberate enemies prepared to wreck the Government to enforce their own will." (Coutts and Fitness, Protest in New Zealand) Battle lines were beginning to from between the state and the waterside unions as Fraser initiated a "stablisation system" with his main ally, the Federation of Labour (FoL) vice-president Fintan Patrick Walsh, where he used violence and intimitadion as key components of the campaign. One historian described Fraser's motives to crush the watersiders who were pushing for change: "the nearest thing (New Zealand had) to an American-style industrial gangster." (Coutts and Fitness, Protest in New Zealand) However, in contrast, the Trade Union Congress were determined that they would be undefeated by the Government acnetions designed to weaken the union powers.
The schism in the Federation of Labour was another major political cause to the 1951 Waterfront Strike. On 18th April 1950, the growing conflicts between the constituting unions under the FoL and also with successive Labour and National Government had led the Federation of Labour to split into two fractions; the Federation of Labour, led by Walsh and the Trade Union Congress, a communist-leaning militant group formed mainly by the Waterside Workers' Union (led by Barnes and Hill) and representing more than 70,000 workers. Unlike the Federation of Labour, the Trade Union Congress opposed the arbitration system and compulsary unionism. The schism in FoL was also a result of the rivalry that existed between the unions in the yeas leading up to the dispute. Fintan Patrick Walsh was determined that he would embarrass the militant unions. He succeeded, with support of Labour's acting Prime Minister Walter Nash, in publishing the names of Communist Party he obtained from a snatched satchel that belonged to Cecil Holmes, a National Film Unit documentary makera and Public Service Association (PSA) activists. Walsh successfully tainted the PSA and Cecil Holmes with a communist smear.Trade Union Congress, however, was determined that they would spearhead the strike the following year and would be unbeaten by the Federation of Labour.
Union Action Increases
Members of the Carptenters' Union march down Auckland's Queen Street, February, 1949. New Zealand History Online
A slow down is a form of industrial action is "a deliberate slackening of the rate of production by organized
labour as a tactic in industrial conflict." (Collins Dictionary) A slowdown was seen as alternative to striking actions to maintain pressure on the Government, which were riskier and costly for the striking waterside workers. Auckland Carpenters' Union's go-slow in 1948 was successful in gaining higher rates of pay. Another go-slow in 1949, however, resulted in a lockout. The Government took the controversial steps of deregistering of the union, however, under the Strike and Lockout Emergency Regulations (SLER), the Government had authority to deregister unions when it felt threatened from strike actions or lockouts. Union disruptions had become a major issue for any future government by the time of the 1949 General Elections. The National Party won the 1949 General Elections, and Sidney Holland became the country's new Prime Minister. The National Government was in a difficult political situation, starting from the point where the Labour Party had left-off with, where tensions for industrial actions by the waterside workers increasing. However, Holland put forward policies to resolve the issue of union disruption to the waterfront. He was determined to confront the strike actions head on, and he gradually supported Walsh and the idea of compulsary unionism which allowed the Government the authority over the unions.
labour as a tactic in industrial conflict." (Collins Dictionary) A slowdown was seen as alternative to striking actions to maintain pressure on the Government, which were riskier and costly for the striking waterside workers. Auckland Carpenters' Union's go-slow in 1948 was successful in gaining higher rates of pay. Another go-slow in 1949, however, resulted in a lockout. The Government took the controversial steps of deregistering of the union, however, under the Strike and Lockout Emergency Regulations (SLER), the Government had authority to deregister unions when it felt threatened from strike actions or lockouts. Union disruptions had become a major issue for any future government by the time of the 1949 General Elections. The National Party won the 1949 General Elections, and Sidney Holland became the country's new Prime Minister. The National Government was in a difficult political situation, starting from the point where the Labour Party had left-off with, where tensions for industrial actions by the waterside workers increasing. However, Holland put forward policies to resolve the issue of union disruption to the waterfront. He was determined to confront the strike actions head on, and he gradually supported Walsh and the idea of compulsary unionism which allowed the Government the authority over the unions.
Post-Second World War New Zealand under the National Government
A short-term, significant economic cause was the waterside workers’ dissatisfaction with the 15 percent increase to all workers covered by the industrial arbitration system. On February 8th, the employers of waterfront labour offered 4.5d an hour wage rise to meet the 15 percent wage increase. However, on 10th February 1951, watersiders at Wellington and at New Plymouth ceased working overtime as a protest against the emplyers’ offer, claiming that the 4.5d an hour was only 9 percent increase in a 40-hour week and that their ability to work overtime had been includeshen the wage rise was computed. Their employers argued that the rise offer was exactly in the line with the 15 percent Arbitration Court award and and also that refusal to work overtime was a breach of the agreement and that all men who refused to work overtime would be placed on a two-day penalty. The employers began and dismissing for refusing to work overtime on 15th February. According to a source, however, the waterside workers were controlled by the Waterfront Industry Commission established by the Labour government during the War and were not eligibile for this wage increase. Not only the workers were illeligible for the wage increase, the waterside company’s offer to the waterside worker the substantially lower figure of nine percent despite the substantial profits they had been making. Discontent of the militant unions increased with the argument over the controversial pay claims, and subsqeutnly, this led to industrial actions.
National Government and the Korean WarA short-term political cause was the National Government's commitment of New Zealand forces in the Korean War. Prime Minister Sidney Holland ha dagreed to give military aid to United Nation's emergency call as a response to the North Korean invasion to south at dawn of June 25th, 1950. On 6 February 1951, PM Holland has already made an offer to send Kayforce when he had returned from Britain and the United States in case of an outbreak in Korean Peninsula. However by 22nd February 1951, the government had made the proclamation of a state of emergency as a response to the waterfront dispute. However, PM Holland was determined that he would continue to give full military support to Korea. His policy was that the Government would fight the international expansion of communism and to protect weak, defenseless countries falling into the Domino Effect, and the National had joined in the ANZUS Pact (Australia-New Zealand-and
United Stated) in which the three countries would agree to give military aid in case of Communist attack in any one of the constituting countries. |
Holland has also accused as a "traiter" any individual groups or people which stood in the war's preparations defense "by limiting the handling of good." (Ian McGibbon, New Zealand and the Korean War Volume One) The FoL's National Executive proclaimed that he strike was going against the nation's war effort "part of the war that New Zealand troops are fighting in Korea." (Ian McGibbon, New Zealand and the Korean War Volume One)The striking Waterside Workers' Union eventually became "victimized" under the Government's aggressive policy towards the striking workers.
While the tension of war increasing over the Korean Peninsula, Holland wished to increase war effort into the Korean War. This, consequently increased tension for industrial actions by the waterside workers, who wished to resolve economical issues eminent in the contemporary New Zealand society. |
Key historical ideas
- The Second World War saw an unprecedented expansion of government control over the lives of New Zealanders. However, many New Zealanders accepted economic hardships and restrictions during the wartime as it was necessary to defeat the enemy. However, when the war was finished, the New Zealand society moved back to wanting to reverse the economic hardships and restrictions.
- The Labour Government's refusal to grant the waterside workers' pay claims and demands for improved working conditions, and Prime Minister Fraser's dislike of the Waterside Workers' Union initiated a forced a militant union, Trades Union Congress, to be established.
- The New Zealand public turned to support the National Government and Sidney Holland as the Prime Minister. Sidney Holland promised to ease the regulations and hardships created by the Labour Party. National Government continued to work against the watersiders; the pay claim increase of 15% by the Arbitration Court was controversial as the employers allegedly did not want to comply to waterside workers' demands for pay claims.
- Prime Minister Sideny Holland's stand against communism and militant unionism had further deterred the communist-influenced Waterside Workers' Union and this had increased in the tension for an industrial dispute. PM Holland was concerned that the militant waterside e workers would obstruct his concern to increase War efforts in the Korean War and the post-wartime economic growth, but the Waterside Worer's Union was determined to improve working conditions in New Zealand.