INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 217, 12 September 1908, Page 5

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES.

CONCILIATION AND AEBITRA-

TION

PROPOSED ALTERATIONS IN THE

BILL

ABOLITION OF CONCILIATION

BOARDS

[PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

WELLINGTON, Sept, 11

The Minister for Labour' communicates the following particulars of the alterations made in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration" Bill by the Labour Bills Committee: — . i " Part 1, clause 3: The words "Have been in the employ" have been struck out, the reason being that a strike lias been declared not to be a continuous offence. Clause 4 has been amended to make •single employers liable ior a lock-out. A new clause, 4a, is inserted, providing that when .a majority; of the members of an industrial union are .guilty of an .offence under the Act the TUnion and riot the individuals shall be proceeded against in the firs€ instance.

A strike or lock-out under the amended Bill "can take place only where an award or industrial agreement is in force. A strike is now made a continuous offence in so far as aiding or .ibeWing is concerned. The penalty clause, inflicting three months* imprisonment for striking without three weeks' notice in industries connected with the necessaries of life is struck out, and a fine not exceeding £25 substituted, and notice is reduced to fourteen days, j'' In the clause providing power of suspension a proviso is inserted to limit the operation thereof against those offending, instead of operating against the Whole industry. _ ■> The clause relating to tracing a man who has not paid the fine has been deleted, and a clause Inserted enabling the 'Court .toyattach wages above £1 per week in the case of a single man and £2 in the case of a married man.

The old Conciliation Boards are abolished, and two Conciliation Commissioners—one for the North and the other for the South Islands—are ap•pointed for a term of three years at a fixed annual salary". On a dispute arising, the Commissioner proceeds to the place of dispute and first goes into .the matter alone t ''~\o ascertain the merits-thereof. -He then calls upon the unions and employers to appoint three assessors on either side. The Commissioners,, have no Vote, and no power to make an award; there must be pure conciliation, and only where agreement on at point exists can such a point be embodied in the award drawn up by the Commissioner, such award to have all the force of an award made by the Arbitration 'Court.! If the majority of the employers and workers engaged' :in, the industry affected fail "to signvtlie agreement within a month of the,.kwerd, the case goes automatically to the^'Arbitration Court, which deals only with such matters as have notbeen settled. In |iis report to, the Cqurt, the Commissioner is required to give an "indication of whether, a settlement is prevented by - unreasonable action on either side. is" made that at any time Ttret-ween the v reference of the case to and the hearing of the case -by the Court the parties may come to, an agreement, "which-shall haye the same ' effect as if come to prior to the case being referred to the Court.

The net number .of members of a union necessary for.registration is reduced from 25 to 15, and the number of employers for registration of an* association is reduced from seven to tihree.

.Section 57, providing for a needs and exertion ■■wage, ;is struck out. Section 20, referring to expert assessors, is also struck oiit, power "being given to the 'Court to call for assessors if it wishes.

The definition of worker is: "Any person who works for hire or reward.''

A new clause provides that in the case of work not Tbeinsj for an employer's pecuniary gain there sTiall "be no liability for prosecution for breach of an award. This also applies to domestic servants in a private house, but not to one where lodgers are kept;