WAGE DISPUTES.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20498, 17 March 1932, Page 10

WAGE DISPUTES.

failure of conciliation. POSITION UNDER ARBITRATION BILL. [Fbom Our Parliamentary Kepokter.J WELLINGTON, March 16. "What will the Government do if the employers' assessors in conciliation proceedings refuse to tako an industrial dispute to the Arbitration Court?" asked Mr H. E. Holland of the Hon. A. Hamilton in the House to-day. Mr Hamilton: There will simply be no award -in that industry. Mr Holland: And the employees will be at the mercy of the employers. Mr Hamilton: It will apply to both parties. That is the penalty if either side refuses to take the dispute to the Court. Mr Holland: But you are assuming that one side goes to conciliation without a full sense of its responsibility? Mr Hamilton: They have done so before. Mr J. O'Brien (Lab., Westland): That is what the employers want. Mr Hamilton: That is not what the employers want. I know the employers as well as members of the Labour Party, and I say that the employers in New Zealand are just as anxious as the workers to preserve awards. Mr Hamilton continued that he had been accused by, the Labour Party of not understanding the Bill. He did not claim to be the last word on tho subject, but he understood the position as well as anyono. Mr It. Semple (Lsb., Wellington East): Wo understand tho purpose of the Bill. 1 Mr Hamilton: Teg, tho purpose is voluntary arbitration. Mr Semple: To bring down wagep. Mr Hamilton: That is a different matter. Continuing, the Minister said he recognised that this Bill made farreaching alterations to the arbitration system. If it had destroyed the principle of collective bargaining it might have justified the allegation that the Court was boing destroyed also. Many agreements were to-day being made ii* Conciliation Councils without - recourse to the Court. Mr R. McKeen (Lab., Wellington South): But if these are made the Government can them away by Ordor-in-Council in Clause 2. The Minister: Well, Clause 2 is perhaps not desirable, but these are difficult times, and we have to do things that are not too popular. Mr Holland said if the Minister would eliminate Clause 2, providing for an Order-in-Councjl exempting industries, Clause 7, which insists upon unanimity in conciliation before a dispute is referred to the Court,'and Clause 14, which makes special pfovision for mustorers in the South Island, the Labour Party would allow the remainder of the Bill to pass opposed.