ARBITRATION BILL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 142, 18 May 1936, Page 2

ARBITRATION BILL.

MINISTER’S EXPLANATION. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Mav 16. The Minister of Labour (Hon. H. T. Armstrong) to-day drew attention to a point in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill which appears to be difficult of understanding to those not familiar with the intricacies of the legislation which he has had before Parliament. The Bill as introduced, said Mr Armstrong, contained provision that after the passing of the Bill no new industrial union would be registered if there was in the same industrial district an existing registered industrial union or trade union to which the members of the applicant society could properly belong. There was a proviso for art exception to be made it the existing industrial union or trade union concurred in the new' union being granted registration. At a later stage of the Bill this clause was altered in two respects after the consideration of information received. Power of concurrence in the registration oi a new union was transferred from tho existing union to the Minister, and the reference in this connection to trade unions was restricted to trade unions registered as such bclore May 1, 1936. A similar restriction to the recognition of trade unions registered betoro May 1, 1936, was inserted also in the compulsory unionism clause. “Correspondence being received by mo indicates that contusion has arisen, possibly because the published explanations of the amendment have nob sufficiently emphasised, firstly, the difference between industrial unions and trade unions and, secondly, that the reference to May 1, 1936, applies only to trade unions,” said the Minister. “Trade unions are not registered by the Department of Labour, but by the Friendly Societies Department. Provision for them to have recognition was inserted in the first place only to ensure that those which had been in existence lor a considerable time should be assured of recognition, bub it was found during the passage of tho Bill that many new organisations were applying for registration under the 'lrade Unions Act with the obvious intention of evading tho compulsory unionism provisions of the Bill. In order to counter this, but yet to preserve the original intention of granting recognition to previously existing trade unions, the restrictive date ot May 1, 1936. was inserted. The main purpose of this explanation is, tlicrelore, to make it clear that the refereiico to May 1, 1936, in the 13ill has no application whatever to industrial unions registered under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill.”