ALLIANCE OF LABOUR AND ARBITRATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 104, 1 April 1926, Page 9

ALLIANCE OF LABOUR AND ARBITRATION.

ITS ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE COURT.

(Contributed by N.Z. AYelfare League).

“Is the Alliance of Labour opposed to Arbitration?” That is tho question which has been put to us by members of the general public. Instead of expressing our own opinion, we submit a report which was published as tho official report of tho Alliance on this subject, and adopted at its last Conference, held in Wellington. ARBITRATION COURT. (1) Your committee is of tho opinion that the basic wage will not bo increased by tho Court of Arbitration as it is at present constituted and controlled. The cqurt lias during the past few years persisted in lowering tho standard of living of all workors who have submitted claims for an increase in wages. AVo therefore recommend that unions which aro in an economic position to do so should cancel their registration under tho I.C. and A. Act and take tho necessary stops to obtain and maintain the basic wage laid clown by conference. Unions cancelling their registration in accordance with the foregoing provisions shall receive the wholehearted support, financially and otherwise, of the Alliance of Labour and its component affiliations, whether registered under the Act or not.

(2) Your committee has gone fully into the question of the basic wage, and has investigated present-day prices of commodities, including house rentals, and, after having carefully considered all matters involved in this question, we have arrived at the conclusion that a basic wage of £6 per week is necessary to enable a worker and his dependants to live with any degree of decency and comfort. (3) Your committee further recommends that the law be amended so that tho strike and lock-out clauses of the I.C. and A. Act be repealed, and that ail award of the court shall be submitted to a plebiscite vote of the workers involved for its acceptance or otherwise, and only in cases where a majority of the workers voting are in favour of accepting the award shall it become law. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. AA r hetlier the unions registered under the Act wc-ro consulted either before or since the übove was adopted, on tho policy it contains, and what is their attitude towards it, are important questions, which, we submit, should be publicly answered. The attitude of the unions towards industrial Arbitration concerns the public and members of it should be informed as to whether or not they endorse the above policy of the Alliance. The workers’ representative on the court is the selection of the Alliance of Labour. Does he support the policy relating to Arbitration which lias been affirmed by the Alliance? Is Mr Monteith likely to advocate that an award of the Court (of which ho is a member), shall, first of all. be submitted to a vote of tho workers concerned and only when a majority arc in favour of it will it become law? This, surely, would be making a farce of the Arbitration system and we cannot think that even tho unions attached to the Alliance of Labour can seriously advocate such a policy as is contained in the Alliance report.