Legality Of Award Talks Challenged

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30269, 23 October 1963, Page 12

Legality Of Award Talks Challenged

(Aeu> Zealand Prcsa Association) WELLINGTON, October 22. A meeting to get an industrial agreement for the Manapouri power project reached a stage of “all but tying up the final details" todaj T , but in the meantime a union secretary was challenging its legality. The secretary of the Labourers’ Federation (Mr P. M. Butler) has also challenged the right of the Wellington Conciliation Commissioner (Mr H. M. Hopper) to be chairman of the meeting.

Today the executive of the Federation of Labour led by the president (Mr T. E. Skinner) and representatives of the Workers' Union met representatives of Utah-Wil-liamson-Burnett to try to establish the basis of a composite award for the project. This was m accordance with a decision of an F.O.L. meeting of unions involved in the project. Mr Butler, representing the Southland Labourers’ Union, dissented from the decision. His federation is not affiliated to the F.0.L., although the Southland union is. Mr Skinner said today's meeting, which had taken place without Mr Butler’s presence, had reached substantial agreement and now had only to tie up the details tomorrow morning. In the meantime Mr Butler had written to Mr Hopper, who is chairman of the meeting at the request of the parties, saying that he considered Utah-Williamson-Bur-nett was a party to an award covering the project to which the Labourers’ Union was also a party to U.W.B. was therefore not competent to join in an agreement with anyone else. Mr Butler suggested the meeting was ultra-vires the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, and in view of this Mr Hopper “should not lend colour of legality to thei proceedings” by presiding over them. He also objected to the meeing being held in Government premises under the circumstances.

Mr Hopper would not comment tonight on the letter, except to acknowledge that he had received it, nor would Mr Skinner.

The Secretary of Labour (Mr H. L. Bockett) said to-

day he had been approached by the F.O.L. and by Utah-Williamson-Burnett. both of whom wanted a conciliation commissioner to chair a projected meeting and facilities to hold it. and his department was glad to help Usually such meetings were private, but if the assistance of the department was solicited by both sides the department was always willing to help. Today's meeting was decided on after the Arbitration Court decided not to grant exemptions from awards sought by U.W.B. and suggested the parties first get together to see if they could iron out their differences.

Mr Butler would not agree to the F.O.L.’s attitude to the meeting, especially the decision that any agreement should eventually be policed by the Workers’ Union. “We will have to contest this all the way,” he said today.