TRADE UNION BILL

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 138, 15 June 1927, Page 10

TRADE UNION BILL

NEW CLAUSE DEBATED

CONCILIATORY SPIRIT

OUT OF COMMITTEE

(A.P.A. and "Sun.")

(Received loth June, .2.15 p.m : )

LONDON, 14th June. In the Committee sfage of the Trade Union Bill Sir L. Scott (C.) proposed a new clause making illegal any strike or 'lock-out in essential services prior to or.during reference of a dispute to' a conciliation tribunal. This was an attempt at something constructive 5» the direction of the settlement of disputes. Mr. J. E. Clynes (Lab.) said that it the Government had wanted industrial' harmony, it would have proceeded on the hnes of .the new clause, instead of the introduction.- of a Bill which had gone far to crush the spirit of conciliation.

Mr Lloyd George agreed that it was unfortunate vto link safe conciliation proposals with such a provocative Bill. 11 the Government had introduced a Bill along the lines of Sir L. Scott's proposal, it would have Ijeen worth tons of the Trade Union Bill. .. SirJUfred Mond disagreed. He said taat the new clause was inconsistent with the Bill. Sir L. Scott's proposal followed the legislative provisions of the Dominions, which avoided numberless strikes. He hoped that Britain would eventually, adopt compulsory arbitration, like Australia. ■ .Mr; L. Hartshorn (Labour} said that if the Government wanted conciliation let them scrap ;the Bill and Labour would then help them to find a better way of dealing with disputes ■ SirXSteel Maitland said that though he would welcome machinery to prevent dispute* coming^to a head, the Government could not accept the amendment. They did not desire to do more than deal with the situation arising from the general strike. They did not wish to go further in preventing the right to strike than the avoidance of, a.recurrence of last year's trouble. He offered, if; the new clause were withdrawn, to; have a committee appointed to, consider the improvement of industrial, conciliation machinery Commander Kenworthy (L.) said that this was the most useful 1 day devoted to the Bill. He believed that compulsory conciliation as tried by Canada and Australia must be attempted here. ' "

Sir Arthur Steel Maitland said that he could not commit himself to terms of reference.. . The Government . was willing to go forward with, the appointmentof a committee^;' He could not promise the appointment before the Bill left the. House of Commons.

Mr.. J. R. Clynes said that "Labour would not accept the arrang«nent as a supplement instead of a substitution for the. Bill. If they, wanted a really representative committee ' the .Government ought to withdraw the Bill.

Mr, J. H. Thomas (Lab.) said that no responsible trade unionist would sit on. the committee with the Bill overhanging them. • ■••

Sir L. Scott's new clause was with, drawn. .. . '

(After the use of the guillotine the Committee stage of the Trade Union Bill was'concluded and the House adjourned. ..;"'■' ,: .-'• •.