WATERSIDE WORKERS ON THE BILL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 240, 3 July 1908, Page 8

WATERSIDE WORKERS ON THE BILL.

IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS. 'v - 'AGAINST INDUSTRIAL COUNCILS. ; The annual conference 1 ' of delegates' from affiliated Unions of ..the'. Now Zealand WaterI sido Workers'. Federation entered upon its third day. at the Town Hall (No. 2 Committee 1 Room), at 10, a.m. yesterday. Mr. F. Bur- ' ton, president; of the'; Wellington Union, was in tho chair. : Practically the whole of both forenoon.and afternoon sittings wore, devoted to exhaustive discussions,;in committee) upon certain suggested amendments,to the .Industrial Conciliation'and Arbitration" Act Amendment Bill as reported from tho Labour Bills Committee of the Houses of; Representatives on November. 7, 1907, and about to bo dealt with dur- . " ing the current;'session of Parliament. INDUSTRIAL COUNCILS REJECTED. . ■ The Lyttelton Union moved that the ;, 'amendment, to the ..Conciliation and Arbitration Act relating to the', constitution of Industrial ;Councilsy as brought down by the Hon. J. A. Miliar; Minister for Labour, last . year, be supported. . Shortlj-, tho' amendment provided for tho constitution of Industrial Councils, each to 'consist' of ; three members ■ who are, or have been, employers, and'three who are, or have -been, employees in the particular trade and industrial district concerned; the; foregoing to elect a seventh iriomber as president. The Conference rejected this, and adopted, amendment in lieu thereof, the' following:—" That this .Conference support an amendment of the Industrial Conciliation and /Arbitration Act ,whiclrshall provido that Conciliation Boards shall consist of one member from• either'side,, appointed as at present; Unions'taking a dispute ,to the Board to have thoiright -to appoint assessors as they require. Further, that this Conference oppose any restriction oh ' tho rights of Unions to appoint any person they please." . . UNIONS TO APPOINT. . The appointment of representatives on Industrial Councils is, under the Amending Bill (Section 5, "Subsection 6; Section 5, Subsection 14; and '.Clause. 15), subject to 'tho approval of the Governor.' : The Conferenco resolved, however, that: so farasthe workers' representatives were concerned, the right of appointment should be vested solely in tho .unions." . ;;.\;.v;:. 1 APPEAL TO THE ARBITRATION COURT. . Clause 18 of the Amending Bill -.provides .that an:application for leave to ; appeal from an award, at any time-within 28 days-from the making of such award by the Industrial Council, may, be made , to the -Arbitration Court. ..-. ... -y . In the opinion of the; Conference this period is too limited to allow' of a fair' trial being given to the conditions of the new award, and . delegates accordingly adopted a suggestion that >'the period''named in the Act shall he-fixed at 84.days.«.'• ' ■ MAGISTRATE'S iCOURT ASSESSORS. . For the purpose of obviating delays in tho onforcement of. awards, it-is provided in the' Bill-(Section 22),'. that; actions for breaches thereof shall bo decided-in the Magistrate's Court;,.- 'J . Tho'Conferenco decided, that as tho .presiding- magistrate might' frequently bo' in need of expert assistance as to the technical points , of;, trade ' cases, ' assessors'. -from each side, should be "appointed-to sit on the Bench during -the hearing'of such cases, such experts to; have'all the'-powers-of the Court conferred upon'them. . LIABILITY FpR FINES. Clause 29 of , the *Amending Bill places tho responsibility for, payment of fines ■■ upon industrial unions or associations, or, in de-. fault within ono month ; upon air individual members;of tho same,.,' Clause 30 empowers employers . .to ty insta,linerits of 25 per cent., the amount 1 of: fines incurred by employees, while Sub-clause 2 of Clause; 30 states that'such'action' shall riot take place until, due notice has ibeen given by the Inspector of . Awards. . ;;'. j ■ '■ ■■■■ ' Tho "Conferences unanimously decided that the whole of-the Aforegoing be struck out of the"proposed Amendment Act. ;: ' '' NUMERICAL STRENCTH OF UNIONS., , Sbctioivo of the'principal Act provides that ah industrial: association'' of . employers may be constituted with a minimum 'of-'tiro..'mem-' hers, I 'and-workers'; uiiionk, with, a minimum ofVMren.^' y ' in the. Bill (clause 40a,),' to'''increase; the minimums to sovon and'twentyrfive'respectively^ The Conference; I 'however, prefers 'tho old order, of 'and- unanimously resolved that Section '5 of-the principal .Act.be retained; " . . • v." 1 VOTING POWERS ,'OF UNIONS. . 'It is providedvin; the'new Bill that every union with a membership of below fifty shall, for-.the election' of the ..workers' representation on the Arbitration Court, be entitled to. one' :.vote;- over',fifty,'one vote for' every fifty ; Tho alteration suggested by the Conference was that one .vote; should bo allowed for each fifty or part thereof.' That is to say, a union of fifty-ono.workers would be entitled.to two' votes. '. v :- ■ - PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS. Tho remit : "That'wherever and whenever an, award; of the. Court or. Industrial Council or Industrial; Agreement,is in force, whether before or after tho-coming into operation of this Act, all employees, working under such awards or industrial agreements shall be members. of. the - union in .'which tho awards or agreements aro binding," which implies compulsory unionism,, was, after considerable discussion, altered, and a resolution was adopted —that-tho'.'statute laws'be amended to provide for straight-out preference to unionists. UNION'OFFICIALS. V Section; 53, of: the, Amending Bill, which, provides that members of the .committee of. management,' or officers of unions, must be, or must have been engaged in tho industry of , the union,' was: objected .to| the Conferenco -being of opinion-that;as matters of internal management' concerned a union alone, the appointment, of its officers should be left solely for such union to decide. WAGES SHEETS. The Conference decided;that tho Act should be amended .'to provide that union secretaries shall'be supplied' with, copies of wages sheets on demand. ' '. .-'- 1 RAILWAY EMPLOYEES. The following amendment to Section 119 of tho principal' Act was adopted:— , : "That' Section 119 of the Industrial' Conciliation and Arbitration Act be amended to include that wherever and whenever wharf labourers-belong to a registered union, and aro governed by, an award of the Court or industrial • agreement in connection with tho transport industry, and aro in tho employ, of tho Government Railway Department, that tho' said Department be joined as a party thereto, and be subject to its provisions." ' PUBLIC AGITATORS. ' The Temit: "That Section 108 of tho principal Act, be amended by inserting the following words after the word 'agreement' in the fifth line, 'or-merely because of tho fact that ho has given publicity- to his views on political- questions was adopted as a safeguard -against any worker hoing penalised for publicly identifying himsolf with political questions. ■ Tho Conferenco mil resume at 10 a.m. to- 1 day., : .'■■■'.*