NationStates Jolt Archive

Dear UN Members and Delegates,

May I exhort you all to support the "Rights of Labor Unions" motion currently listed on page 6 of the UN Resolutions List. I am of the firm belief that a strong and productive workforce is a happy workforce - and in particular a workforce that has the abilty to take unified action in the event of abuse by unscrupulous employers.

However, may I also encourage you to support the Resolution I have moved entitled "Rights of Labor Unions Amended", which is 3 pages behind the first motion, and thus currently on page 9 of the UN Resolutions list (although, of course, this moves on a daily basis).

Whilst I applaud and endorse the Rights of Labor Unions motion, my amendment seeks to clarify an issue which is unclear on the face of the original resolution: namely, the issue of Secondary Picketing.

The resolution I have moved does not seek to impose any rule as to Secondary Picketing. It does, however, seek to enshrine the right of each nation state to make its own laws as to Secondary Picketing, which right to self-determination Article 7 of the original resolution may forbid.

My motion does not affect in any way the right to strike. For example, if the mining unions wish to strike because of a dispute with their employers, they must of course have that right.

What my amendment seeks, is to provide each nation with the right to decide whether or not it will allow teaching unions to strike at the same time as the miners, simply because the teachers think the miners' cause is a good one.

I do not seek to outlaw Secondary Picketing; but merely to enshrine the right of each nation to make its own laws on Secondary Picketing - a right which Art. 7 of the Rights to Labour Unions resolution does not appear to protect.

I therefore urge you to support my resolution.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

His Holiness Emperor Matt the Shrimp
Emperor of Shrimparum
Overlord of the Isles of Crevette
Provost of the Priory of Parkum

Regional UN Delegate, Shrimper Zone region

Dear UN Members and Delegates,

The url to the relevant page on the list of proposals today is:

http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=UN_proposal/start=40

My proposed amendment is at the foot of that page. I urge you to support it.

Kind regards,

His Holiness Emperor Matt the Shrimp

Yours is a voice of moderation and reason, and deserves a second.
"Hear! Hear!"

I am grateful to the Nation of Collaboration.

Certain Nation States have, however, accused me of seeking to attack the rights of workers. Let me reassure my fellow nations that the rights of workers are extremely important to a nation such as the Holy Empire of Matt the Shrimp, where Civil Rights are fiercely protected. Indeed, it should be noted that I have supported the original resolution.

I therefore crave your collective indulgence, and allow me the opportunity further to explain my resolution, and my reasoning behind it.

What I seek is merely to protect the rights of individual nations to legislate on the issue of secondary picketing. Each nation must, in my view, be permitted to make its own mind up as to what is best for its workers and its employers.

I do not seek to quash General Strikes, a concern which has been raised by some nation states. A General Strike, it seems to me, is a situation where workers generally have a grievance with the government - for example, on the issue of a minimum wage.

In those circumstances, each union may begin a primary dispute with the government. Each Union would then be permitted to ballot their workers on whether to take strike action, which could result in a General Strike.

The only right which I am seeking to protect is the right of each nation to make its own legislation as to secondary picketing. This is where the workers' personal rights are unaffected by a dispute, but they nevertheless instigate industrial action.

For example, if the miners had a dispute with their employers about safety appartus within mines, it would be a form of secondary picketing were teachers to take a ballot on strike action in relation to that issue, since it is not a dispute which affects the rights of the teachers.

In my view, the decision as to whether this latter form of picketing should be allowed should be a decision which is taken by individual member states.

I am not seeking to put forward any view as to whether secondary picketing is desirable or undesirable.

I am merely proposing that each member state be given the right to create their own legislation on this important area of labour law, thereby protecting the rights of member states.

I trust that this has clarified my reasons for moving this amendment. I hope that my fellow nations will feel reassured, and feel able to support it.

As a final thought: in the circumstances of the teacher / miner example set out above, what do you consider that the government would be able to do in order to resolve that dispute if the mines are not state-owned?

Once again, therefore, I urge you to support my resolution.

Kind regards,

His Holiness Emperor Matt the Shrimp
Emperor of Shrimparum
Overlord of the Isles of Crevette
Provost of the Priory of Parkum

Regional UN Delegate, Shrimper Zone

Yours is a voice of moderation and reason, and deserves a second.
"Hear! Hear!"

Dear Collaboration,

Following your post above, could I urge you to encourage your UN Delegate to support my resolution?

The link to the resolution is:

http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=UN_proposal/start=40

The resolution is at the foot of that page.

Thank you and kind regards.

Yours sincerely,

His Holiness Emperor Matt the Shrimp

Since Labor Unions are banned altogether in Wastra, this proposal does not affect my country at all.

Therefore, I will choose neither to support or oppose this proposal.

Yours is a voice of moderation and reason, and deserves a second.
"Hear! Hear!"

Dear Collaboration,

Following your post above, could I urge you to encourage your UN Delegate to support my resolution?

The link to the resolution is:

http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=UN_proposal/start=40

The resolution is at the foot of that page.

Thank you and kind regards.

Yours sincerely,

His Holiness Emperor Matt the Shrimp

Noted and heeded.

I trust our wise and sensible delegate will act in support.

Dear Collaboration,

Thank you for your message.

I am grateful for your support; and whilst it would have been interesting for my amendment also to have passed, on re-reading the Unions motion, I have decided that it will not be necessary for an amendment to be moved.

I do not interpret clauses 5 and 7 as prohibiting legislation to be passed outlawing Secondary Picketing within my own nation.

I saw that there was, potentially, a grey area in relation to secondary picketing.

However, clause 5 of the resolution provides that:

"Workers shall enjoy adequate protection against acts of anti-union discrimination in respect of their employment"

I note the words "their employment" and deduce that the provision does not therefore prohibit legislation dealing with secondary picketing, since secondary picketing is necessarily not something which concerns "their employment".

I thought it would be preferable to have an express resolution dealing with that issue rather than having it ambiguous in that way; however, I am content for the matter to be left as it is.

Certainly, it would be good to protect workers' rights generally, and I shall therefore be supporting the Rights of Labor Unions motion.

Kind regards,

His Holiness Emperor Matt the Shrimp