Speech attacks industrial Miaos’

Press, 12 July 1980, Page 7

Speech attacks industrial Miaos’

Industrial anarchy pre-1 vailed in New Zealand ' be- i; cause workers’ only option : to apply pressure for a cost-11 of-living increase was to|i take to the streets. a|i former industrial conciliator,'; Mr F. M. Gerbic, has said ini: Parliament. i Departing from the trad- i itionally non-controversial ; maiden speech delivered hy ' newly-elected members, the ] Onehunga member of Parliament lashed out at the ! Government's industrial re- < lations record and suggested!: measures he thinks should h be adopted. Mr Gerbic said New Zea-|. land’s system of industrial relations was based on an 1890 s model which had been tinkered with throughout the 1970 s to the extent that there were no clear guidelines, no established practices. and therefore no commitment to the rules laid down. ’ "In short, we have indus-h trial chaos,” he said. Mr Gerbic called for al; new arbitration system with 1 power to convene compul- -; sory conferences in labour ( disputes. This power should i not be vested in a politician, ’ who was constantly sub-:; jected to pressures from one!; side or another. The commission would;; have broad terms of refer-; ence to allow it to deal in an I; imaginatively positive way J with other matters, such as: job security and technologi-li cal change, which would ; cause increasing conflict in < the 1980 s. - 11

There would also be a role for an industrial court, acting as a final appeal body; on points of law arising from; the commission’s work, or from the act. It would also establish firm guidelines and prece-; dents as to what were acceptable industrial relations practices . . . “Something which is vitally lacking at present,” Mr Gerbic said. Mr Gerbic, the first New Zealander of Yugoslav descent to be elected to Parliament in this country wound up his address with, a few; words in his native language.