ARBITRATION

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1938, Page 5

ARBITRATION

A COURT AWARD

SECRETARY’S STRINGENT COMMENT.

(Per Press Association —Copyright),

CHRISTCHURCH, June 17

, “One of the most astounding and illogical documents which so far. has come from either of our present Arbitration Courts,” is the description applied bv the secretary of the Canterbury Employers Association (Mr D. J). MacDonald) to the Dominion Clothing Trades Award recently issued by theSecond Court, of which Justice*Huuter is president. ' -

Mr MacDonald said thpefe were 25 had endeavoured to-establish a wage basis and Was also reimposiug existing conditions in relation to other matters, unless very strong evidence was brqught by either party iii support of a change. The ad v ent- of a second court had largely nullified this effort, and because of lack of uniform policy, an almost chaotic condition existed.

“To-day parties in the Conciliation Council have no clear understanding of the policy of the Courts on many important issues, 1 and So it eftnnot bo wondered at that-union advocates prefer to gamble on the inconsistency of at least one of the Courts, rather than make agreements in conciliation council,” said Mr MacDonald dealing with the new clothing trades award.

Mr MacDonald said there were 25 clauses and of these 13 were either of a purely machinery nature or were settled in the Conciliation Council. (jt the other 12 clauses, the Court had altered 10 materially in favour of the Union and left- 2 as they were set out in the old award. .

In -the new. award, clauses ' which had been agreed- upon by the parties for more than 20 years,, and which were included in tb’e 1937 award by Mr Justice Page, had been altered to the disadvantage, of employers, without' one shred of evidence for'the workers’ -Union. ' - •>; -~!v ;

’-.. “While in accordance with the only pqliey -which7 tjhq-‘ .second. Court 'seems to have—to increase wages and .fur* -ither. restrict-. ‘increase in - wages - was' to. be .expected; The' Siibstantial increase . granted to women he calamitous for the' industry and possibly .1 or • the wfirkers, rwliQ, depend on it for their livelihood.” , .He added .that there is much more in the award to leave the) employers bfitb dissatisfied Takd fof ex- , ample the "astounding . • implication ui ..ope -paragraph.- of the ' memorandum, that the Cour.t cannot'" be concerned tVith the ability of industry to pay. This itilk eome-a.s r n rudo-shoek id ifealand mariufacturerSj' who.ire struggling to maintain and build (up produetii e industries in face of . strong overseas competition. They know now where they stand, at least iu so far as the second; Court of Arbitration .is concerned. -In the past-- the general ■pronouncements, of the Court: have always given •so file recognition; ff o the condition of industry. . ’