ARBITRATION COURT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22243, 6 November 1937, Page 16

ARBITRATION COURT

“WE WILL CATCH UP WITH WORK”

MINISTER CONFIDENT

REPLY TO TRADE UNION REQUESTS

“I hope to have the bill for the second Arbitration Court through the House next week, and there will then be nothing whatever to prevent the cleaning up of the outstanding work,” said the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, Minister for Labour, commenting to “The Press” yesterday on trade union dissatisfaction over the delay in many award proceedings. “If they are not clear about the standard wage rate and that is holding things up, then no doubt the Court will make a pronouncement to ease the situation,” he said. The Minister said he had noticed that the local branch of the New Zealand Federation of Labour, as reported in “The Press” , yesterday, was concerned about the confusion over the standard wage declaration of the Court. If the application of the wage was in doubt a statement from the Court would clear it up, he said.

It appeared also that the unions wanted pay to be made retrospective to make amends for the delay in proceedings. This also was a matter for the Court. He could see that retrospective pay, although it might be all right where firms were concerned, would be very hard on, say, a builder who had just completed a job. . . . , „ T , “Anyway,” the Minister said, I m confident we can catch up. We will do so as quickly as is possible. 1 hope to have the bill through Parliament by next week, and there will be nothing to hold up the work.”