Separate laws criticised

Press, 31 May 1977, Page 2

Separate laws criticised

The coverage of farm workers under separate legislation from the Industrial, Relations Act, which covers! most other employees, was, described as a form of "industrial apartheid” by the i South Island secretary of; the Labourers’ Union (Mr W. B. Brown) yesterday. Commenting on a report, which appeared in “The: Press” on Saturday, that ■ quoted the acting Minister of Labour (Mr Thomson) as say-1 ing that legislation would i soon be introduced to replace the Agricultural Workers Act (1962), Mr Brown said that it would be better to abolish the act and incorporate al! workers under the Industrial Relations Act (1973). The Labourers' Union provides coverage for market garden workers who are under the auspices of the Agricultural Workers Act I and will be affected bv the new legislation. The net effect of having! separate legislation covering farm workers was that their wages had been depressed.

This had made New Zea-; land's primary products competitive for overseas markets by allowing prices to ■be kept down, he said. A market garden worker ! under the Government’s :! Market Garden Order receives only $1.61 an hour I gross plus other adjustIments. Similarly, the recent ji.zard for farm workers negotiated by the Farm ) Workers Association, has a 'base rate of about $1.74 an I hour plus adjustments. ; Mr Brown said that the Farm Workers’ Association and Federated Farmers had • “picked the eyes out” of the ‘ Industrial Relations Act in I their submissions for new ; legislation, but the workers ■ would receive all the penalty (provisions without obtaining [ the privileges of the Industrial Relations Act. II "The proposals will do ( nothing. They are just duplicating the system and com:'plicating the law. For instance, the Agricultural iCommission is virtually thei Industrial Commission wearying another hat,’’ said Mr i Brown. I