INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 July 1939, Page 5

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES

DEREGISTRATION OF UNIONS.

POWER GIVEN TO MINISTER

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

WELLINGTON, July 18. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Instead of proceeding, as usual, with the Ad-di’ess-in-Rcply debate, the' Government introduced the l Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration' Amendment Bill. It was introduced by Governor’s message. Tlie Prime Minister immediately applied! for urgency for its passing. Urgency was accordingly granted 1 . The Bill state's that, if the Minister of Labour is satisfied' that anyTliscontinuan'ce of employment has caused, or is likely to cause, serious loss 1 or inconvenience, due to the action 1 of a uniqp of workers l or of employers, he may, by notice' in> the Gazette, cancel tlie registration,of the union' concerned, or cancel any award or industrial agreement relating to that union. This cancellation may be general, or may be limited to any specified locality. When a notice’ of cancellation has been issued with regardi to any particular union, or district, no other union may be registered' for that industry in the locality; nor may the scope of any other union be extended to. cover that district without the consent of the Minister.

The “discontinuance of emlpltoyment” is defined as the refusal by any employer to engage workers for any work for which he usually employs them; or the refusal by workers to accept engagement for any work in which they are usually employed; or as any “method, act or omission in the course of employment that has, or is likely to have, the effect of interrupting or impeding work in any industry.” , The Bill was read 1 the first time. Mr. G. W. Foribes (Nat., Hurunui). on the secqnd reading, immediately asked why urgency was required. The Minister of Labour, Mr. Webb: “Urgency is required to give the Minister of Labour the power to. deregisl- - any union, or part of a union, which, by any action on their part causes tlie interruption or tlie stoppage of industry. I am taking power, under this Bill, to cancel the registration of any union which does 1 not comply with the law, as it stands.” Mr. W. J. Polson (Nat., Stratford): “The Minister is very mysterious. He ha.s not told us much. What has the Government up its sleeve that there should be this sudden demand for urgency? What terrible things have the unions been doing?”

Mr. Polson said, that, under the Labour Government’s own legislation, passed previously, penalties were provided for non-compliance with awards, and any union which' broke' the conditions could be fined £lOO, and! members! of that union £5 each. Why did not the Government stick to the principles laid down in its own legislation?

Mr. Polston proceeded to criticise the Government’s Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration legislation. He said the fact that the Government was seeking urgency for the- present amendment seemed to indicate that some unions were apparently not behaving themselves.

TO STOP STRIKES.

The. Minister said it was true that there had been, breaches of awards- by unions, but referring to Mr. Polson's contention that penalties under existing legislation should be inflicted in such cases, the Minister ‘ added that no Government during the past ten years had inflicted these penalties. Even the Nationalist Government had seen fit to deal with the I. C. and A. Act in a. commonserise way. The Government was not going to let unions have the law both way's. They either had l to abide by the I. C. arid A. Act, or they could not expect to benefit by its protection. If a union, came, out on strike, the Minister said, he wanted the power to deregister. He knew that there had been several stoppages rce'ntly, and they had one stoppage in Auckland at the present time. When the Bill passed through the House, he would take -steps' to deregister the union concerned forthwith. If unions did not. comply with the law, he would take the first possible opportunity to deregister them. He believed that the Bill was necessary in the interests of collective security, industrial arbitration and industrial peace. It would be helpful in dealing with many cases that, might arise, and he wanted it put into operation as' soon as he could. Mr. Forbes agreed with the Minister that the imposition of penalties provided under the Act had done little to remedy things. The main thing, ho said, was to keep the industry in motion. If the Minister Mt that the Bill would assist in the smoother operation of the industry, he (Mr. Forbes) felt that the Minister deserved all possible support for it. But, in the meantime, more information was required 1 about the measure. Mr. F. W. Schramm (Govt., Auckland East) supported the Bill. He said that the State should have final power to settle disputes, especially in cases where small sections unjustly provoked strikes, and held up industry. Mr. S. G. Holland (Nat., Christchurch North) declared! that the Minister would be disappointed if he were under the impression that the passing of the Bill would have any male-rial effect on industrial disputes. Militant unions, he said, thought themselves to be already powerful enough to negotiate their own agreements without the assistance of the Arbitration Court.

Mr. J. G. Coates (Nat., Kaipara) referred to the fertiliser workers’ strike' in Auckland. He asked if the. men in that union were- deregistered, how would farmers get on for a. supply of fertilisers? A key industry was concerned in the Auckland position, and production had to be maintained.

UNIONS’ RESPONSIBILITY

The Minister of Housing (and formerly Minister of Labour, Mr. FI. T. Armstrong) said that it would, be ridiculous io continue to enforce- compuls'ory unionism if a. section of rhe workers were going to please them-selvo.-t whether they observed the law or not. Compels my unionism carried with it the rosponoibility on the 1 part of iho unimw to see- that the law was enforced, and that work was not disrupted from time to time, as it had been recently. This Bill would enable the l Government to inflict penalties where it had nor the- power to do so to-day.

Mr. Webb, replying to the second

reading of (be debate, .said that the Bill would make it quite permissible for him to compel the parties to a. dispute to meet in conciliation. lie did not think that the new law would have to be invoked on many occasions, but it. was wise, to have the power, if needed. While it might not stop alt strikes, lie thought that it would help very considerably in. clearing the industrial atmosphere.

The Bill was then, passed, through the committee stages.

It was given the- third reading, and passed, the House adjourning at 5.25 p.m., until 7.30 p.m.

APPROVED BY COUNCIL.

WELLINGTON, July 18

When the Legislative Council met this evening, the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill was received' from the House, and' accorded urgency. Speaking to the ’second reading, Mr. T. Bloodworth said it made, possible the undoing of trade unions altogether. If a union was deregistered, an employer would be free to carry oh with free labour, and that would lead to worse trouble. An unscrupu'lous employer could cause a dispute for the purpose of employing free labour. Other speakers supported the Bill, and it was put through all stages and passed.

CHEMICAL WORKERS’ UNION.

REGISTRATION CANCELLED.

WELLINGTON, July 19.

The Minister of Labour (Mr Webb) has taken action under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act, 1939, which was passed by Parliament yesterday, to cancel the registration of. the Otahuhu Chemical Manure Workers’ Industrial Union of Workers, as from to-morrow, namely, the date of publication of the notice of cancellation in the Gazette. This automatically cancels the Northern Industrial' District Chemical Workers’ award, dated October 17, 1938, and deprives the workers in the industry in that district of the benefits of the machinery and other privileges, including compulsory membership of the union, under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1925, and. its amendments.

This does not affect the right of the workers to negotiate foi' an agreement under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act, 1913, and, notwithstanding the action taken, the Minister said he desired to state that the Government was anxious to assist in bringing about a settlement of the unfortunate dispute that existed in the Auckland district, and would do its utmost to bring the parties together, with this object in view.

STRIKERS DETERMINED

AUCKLAND, July 19.

Now in the fourth week of the strike, the chemical manure workers met at the Trades Hall, to-day, and unanimously decided to apply for the cancellation of theii’ union’s registration. There were 250 men at the meeting. It was later ascertained that the action of the Government, in passing legislation for the deregistration of unions, had not been discussed, and that the men were determined to continue the strike.