ARBITRATION ACT

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 17 May 1928, Page 9

ARBITRATION ACT

NO AGREEMENT. SPECIAL COMMITTEE’S WORK. BOTH SIDES SUBMIT REPORTS [by TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.]WELLINGTON, May 17. No agreement has been reached by the National Industrial Conference in regard to 1 the 1. O. and A. Act. When the conference resumed this morning, a report was submitted by the joint special committee to the effect that it had been unable tQ I arrive at a recommendation. The vital point of the difference between the two parties was the question of optional qr comp'usory reference of disputes to the court or other tribunal lor final settlement. The employees’ section contended for the optional system and the employers’ section wished to maintain the present system of compusory reference to the court.

EMU!.OVERS’ PROPOSALS. Each side submitted detailed proposals :in regard to an amendment ot the Act. The employers recommended that there should be provision for third party .representation before the conciliation councils and the court; that the number of assessors or conciliation councils should be increased from three to four in local disputes, and from six to seven in Dominion disputes. Where assessors failed to agree the dispute -should be referred to the court. If three or four assessors on each iside in a district dispute, or five of the seven in a Dominion dispute should consent, provided in the case of the council finding a difficulty in reaching an agreement a direction might be obtained from the court in regard to wages and hours, the majority of the assessors should have power to adjourn conciliation providing if an. adjournment would assist towards a settlement. In cases where $a strike or a lockout is likely, the judge of the court should have power to summon parties together with the object of securing a settlement. Provision is to be made for registration of a national union of workers. The employers further recommended that there should be some provision for the setting up of an industrial committe to deal with disputes and other matters and that every agreement or award should contain the provision that in the event of employers and employees agreeing, work sliould he paid for under a system of piecework or contract-, in place of under time payment.

WORKERS’ SUBMISSIONS SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES WELLINGTON, May 17. The workers submitted that with regard to the settlement of disputes these should be submitted to the Arbitration Court where, an agreement was not reached in conciliation council and the setting up of an industrial committee. In industries where there are local agreements or awards, district committees might he set up with similar powers to national committees. Awards should include the provision to set up advisory committees representatives of employers and employees, which should have power to consider and decide any new matter which any party to an award might submit, to make recommendations to the court and report to an employment hoard on the state of employment and the prospects thereof in the trade on industry. They further submitted that provision be made for the registration of national unions of employers and workers, also for Dominion awards. It should be an obligation, before a strike or a lock-out began, to submit the matter in dispute to the National Disputes Committee, the decision of such committee to be binding. The workers’- submissions also provide for the ' setting up of Dominion industrial committees with power to make agreements.

DISCUSSIONS ON THE REPORTS

WELLINGTON, May 17 Mr Bloodworth moved the adoption of- the reports, which Mr Poison seconded, and agreeing with Mr Bloodworth that it was a great disappointment that a unanimous report had not been presented. He was an optimist and still believed that if their minds were set to it, they could come to a settlement. The subject was the great question before conference, and if a satisfactory conclusion was come to, lie believed there would be industrial peace for a quarter of a century. After a short discussion the reports were adopted. ' It was resolved that it he a suggestion from the conference that representatives of the parties concerned in the Factories Act and the Shops and Offices Act meet and discuss such amendments which they deemed advisable to those Acts, with a view to making joint representations to the Government.

In placing before the conference the employers’ recommendations lor an amendment to the S.C.A. Act, Mr Bishop expressed the. opinion that the Arbitration Act was an attempt to do the impossible. The whole of the clauses of the report had been framed with the object of substituting the optional for compulsory arbitration and protecting those organisations which had grown up under the compulsory isvstem and might find themselves in difficulties if that protection were taken from them.