TRADE UNIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 23, 28 January 1938, Page 11

TRADE UNIONS

GREATER ACTIVITY

CREATING DISPUTES

THE NEW METHOD

(By Telecrapti—Presß Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day.

A forecast that 1938 would probably see greater activity on the part of trade unions in New Zealand than any other year in the history of the country, was made today by Mr. D. I. McDonald, secretary of the Canterbury Employers' Association. ■ Thousands of workers and employers throughout the Dominion were covered by caretakers', cleaners', and liftmen's, clerical workers', and motor mechanics' awards, explained Mr. McDonald. Practically 'every employer of labour in New Zealand would be affected by one or other of the awards. Many unions were immediately taking advantage of the new method of creating disputes which was brought about by, section 5 of the I.C. and A. Amendment Act No. 2, 1937. This section no' longer made it necessary for unions to cite all employers in any one industry. It was sufficient if the union cited registered associations of employers.' If no such organisation existed then it was sufficient -if a number of representative employers, acceptable to the Conciliation Commissioner, were cited. Under such circumstances all employers in an industrial district in any industry to which the dispute related would be deemed to be responsible parties as though they had been actually named. "In other words," said Mr. McDonald, "once an award is made in future it will automatically apply to every employer who employs any worker covered by that particular award.-The onus is on the employer to find out whether he has to comply with' anyparticular award. The Department of Labour in Wellington has the question of notification to employers under consideration at the present time. It appears that the only logical method of notification is by means of newspaper advertising." ..