APPRENTICES’ WAGES

Evening Star, Issue 25620, 22 October 1945, Page 7

APPRENTICES’ WAGES

APPLICATIONS FOR INCREASES COURT'S POLICY OUTLINED In a memorandum to the Northern Industrial District Furniture Trade Apprenticeship Order, which has been issued by the Court of Arbitration, Mr .Justice Tyndall has stated the court’s policy in regard to applications for amendments to apprenticeship orders. ‘ ‘ The court has given careful consideration to the general question of the dates from which any future amendments to apprenticeship orders made pursuant to Regulation 39a of the Economic Stabilisation Emergency Regulations shall be deemed to have effect,” the memorandum states. “ The following matters have been taken into account. . UNDUE DELAY. “ In connection with awards and industrial agreements, the court in its pronouncement of March 17 last, stated that all amendments made pursuant to Regulation 39a (1) in respect of applications submitted within a reasonable time would be directed to have effect as from April 1 last. No such general announcement has been made in relation to amendments to apprenticeship orders. It is a fact, however, that there has in some cases been undue and unreasonable delay on the. part of a number of workers’ organisations in the submission of applications for amendment of apprenticeship orders. ' It should be pointed out that up to the present it has been.physically impossible for the court to deal with amendments to apprenticeship orders contemporaneously with hundreds of amendments to awards and agreements, as well as with its normal work.

“ To give’some lead to the interested parties, and to assist future negotiations, the court agreed earlier in the year to hear an application for amendment of the Northern Industrial District (except Gisborne Judicial District! Carpenters and Joiners’ Apprenticeship Order. The case was argued by representatives of the Federation of Labour and the employers. The decision of the ! court on this application was issued on June 29.. 1915. Up till June 29, therefore, interested parties had no indication of the policy the court was likely to adopt in amending apprenticeship orders. and _ consequently employers were not in the position to make reasonable preparation for meeting any financial obligations that might accrue under such retroactive amendments as the court might think fit to make. RETROSPECTIVE TO JULY 1.

“ Having regard to the above facts, as well as to the delay which has taken place in the submission of applications and in their consideration bv the court, it has been decided that where the court is called upon in future to determine the date of coming into operation of; an amendment to the rates of- remuneration in an apprenticeship order, it will order that the amendment shall take effect on and from Julv 1, 1945, subject, however, to the condition that the application for amendment shall have been filed with the clerk of awards on or before November 5, 1945. In cases where the date of coming into operation of an amendment has been agreed upon by the interested parties, the court will make an order in accordance with such agreement. “It has come to the notice of the 'court that' a' number of ' amendments to the provisions of apprenticeship orders other than those relating to rates of remuneration, are being considered. It should be made clear that the court has no power to deal with such amendments under Regulation 39a. It would be of assistance to the court, therefore, if interested parties would confine their applications for amendment in the meantime to rates of remuneration, so that all necessary amending orders can be issued as early as possible. .