COURSE OF EVENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 142, 17 June 1937, Page 9

COURSE OF EVENTS

EFFORTS FOR A CONVENTION

In 1935 the International Labour Conference, affirming the principle of a 40-hour week, decided by 79 votes to 26 to establish a committee to consider the text of a convention. Tins action was taken despite the sustained opposition of the employers' delegates and their refusal to participate. The report of the proceedings shows that while approving the shorter week the conference held that it should be generally applied in all countries. However, various nations declined to participate, and it was suggested that the shorter week should be applied to a selected group of industries. Those listed as suitable included public works undertaken or subsbidised by Governments, iron and steel, building and contracting, glass bottle manufacture, and coal mining.

At the conference ol the International Labour Organisation last year votes were taken on three conventions, relating to public works, building, and civil engineering, and the textile trade. On the first readings, the public works convention was adopted by 67 votes to 40, and the building and civil engineering convention by 64 votes to 39, while consideration of the textile trade convention was postponed until this year. These votes, of course, made it certain that the necessary two-thirds majority would not be obtained lor the conventions after they came back from the drafting committees in their final shape. VOTING OF GOVERNMENTS. The British and Indian Government delegates voted against both the firstmentioned conventions, and the New Zealand Government delegate was in favour 6f both. The Government delegates of Australia, South Africa, Canada, and the Irish Free Slate did not vote. The United States employers' delegate voted in favour of the firs,t I convention and against the second. AU the other employers' delegates were against both proposals, while all the workers' delegates were in favour of both. Twenty-three Governments supported the public works convention.

In the case of the textile trade the French Government proposed to adopt it last yearj but this was rejected by 54 votes to 47. Ten Governments voted in favour of discussion and adoption last year, including New Zealand, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, the United States, Russia, and Spain. The British, Australian, Canadian, and Indian Governments voted against it, while South Africa and the Irish Free State did not vote. It was decided to send a questionnaire to the various Governments.

At the conference the British employers' adviser, Mr. T. Ashurst, repeated the uncompromising objection of the British employers to any convention. He said there was lack of reliable information as to the hours, wages, and working conditions obtaining in the various textile countries and that these should be forthcoming in order that the facts could be considered internationally in proper perspective. Mr. Arthur Shaw, the British workers' adviser, said the workers had no objection to an inquiry, but did object to the inquiry taking the place of a 40-hour week convention. An inquiry was begun five years earlier and had been dropped. The workers did not believe that the questionnaire would accomplish anything.