LABOUR CONVENTIONS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 77, 28 February 1938, Page 13

LABOUR CONVENTIONS

RATIFICATION TO BE MOVED. ! LEGISLATION PLANNED. | At an early date in the session oi' j Parliament, to be resumed next week, the Government will move that assent j be accorded to the ratification by New Zealand of 22 draft conventions adopted by International ■ Labour Conferences at Geneva. ‘‘Twenty-two of the conventions adopted by the conference are covered by existing legislation in New Zealand,” said the Minister of Labour, Hon. H. T. Armstrong, in an explanatory statement of the position. “In some cases New Zealand legislation is in advance of the terms of the draft conventions. It is considered that in such cases the relative draft conventions should be ratified. The notice of motion contains a list ;of the draft conventions in this category. “Concerning the remaining 40 draft conventions, the broad principles of several of these are generally observed in New Zealand at present, but legislation would be required to give full effect to their provisions. In some cases they are not applicable to New Zealand. It is the Government’s intention to examine carefully these remaining draft conventions before seeking further ratifications.” DELEGATIONS’ REPORTS.

In conjunction with consideration of the motion, it is intended to give the House opportunity for discussion of the report of the New Zealand Government delegation to the International Labour Conference, 1937, and the reports of the New Zealand workers’ and employers’ delegates to the same conference.

In listing the conventions to be ratified, the Minister outlined the position in New Zealand in each case. The conventions are :

Convention No. 1, 1919.-—Hours of work (industrial undertaking), eight per day and 48 per week. The position in New Zealand is covered by the Factories Act, 1921-22; the Factories Act, 1936; the Shops and Offices Act, 1936; the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 192536; the Coal Mines Act, 1925; the Mining Act, 1926; the Public Works Act, 1928. Convention No. 2, 1919.—System of free public employment agencies. The Employment Promotion Act, 1936, covers the main points in the convention.

Convention No. 9, 1920.—Establishment of facilities for finding employment for seamen.

The Shipping and Seamen Act, 1908, provides for penalties for demanding or receiving fees. Provisions are also made for mercantile marine officers and registration of seamen. Convention No. 11, 1921.- —Rights of association and combination of. agricultural workers.

The right to register unions and associations exists under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1925. Convention No. 12, 1921.—Workmen’s compensation in agriculture. The Workers’ Compensation Aqt, 1922, makes no distinction or restriction’in regard to agricultural workers. Convention No. 14, 1921.—Application of weekly rest in industrial undertakings. . ' - . , The general principles are adopted in the New Zealand legislation and awards of the Arbitration Court. The Coal Mines Act, 1925, prohibits Sunday labour. The Factories Act, 1936, makes this provision. Awards under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act makes special provision in respect of work on Sundays. WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION. Convention No. 17, 1925.—Workmen’s compensation for accidents, etc. The Workers Compensation Act, 1922, covers the general principles contained in this convention. Convention No. 21, 1926. Simplification of inspection of emigrants on board ship. • . . Immigrants to the Dominion are largely British subjects and the conditions 'for their welfare are controlled by the British Government. Convention No. 22, 1926.—Seamen’s articles of agreement. The Shipping and Seamen Act, 1906, covers the general principles. Convention No. 26, 1928.—-Creation of minimum wage fixing machinery. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1925, provides machineiy which may be regarded as equivalent to the requirements of the convention. The Factories Act, 1921-22, and the Shops and Offices Act, 1921-22, .prescribe the minimum wage to be paid to any person in a factory or shop. Frovision is made in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act for (a) representation, (b) co-operation, (c) enforcement. _ , Convention No. 29, 1930.—Forced or compulsory labour, etc. The Government’s policy is in accord with the terms of the convention. REGULATION OF HOURS. Convention No. 30. 1930.—Regulation of hours of work in commerce an The ffi Shops and Offices Act, 1921-22, contains provisions regarding the emnlovment of office assistants. Ine Shops and Offices Act, 1921-1936, provides for closing at noon on Saturday -with certain exemptions. Offices at'taehed' to factories would observe factory hours; offices attached to shops would usually observe shop hours. Awards under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act regulate the hours of work in commerce and offices. Convention No. 32 1932. —Protection against accidents of workers in loading or unloading ships. In New Zealand the position is covered by the general harbour regulations made under the War Legislation and Statute Law Amendment Act, 1918, and reaffirmed by the Harbours Act, 1923. • , Convention No. 41, 1934.—Employment of women during the night. The Factories Act, 1936 Amendment, restricts the employment of women and boys between 6 p.m. and 8 ami. Restricted overtime is allowed but with limited extension of three hours in any one day. Convention No. 42, 1934. —Work-

men’s compensation for occupational diseases. V

The principle has. been adopted in New Zealand. Certain diseases are already covered by the Workers’ Compensation Act, 1922, and provision has been made for extending it to other diseases. Convention No. 44, 1934.—Ensuring benefit or allowances* to the involuntarily unemployed. The present unemployment legislation and schemes go further, than the provisions of the convention. Convention No. 45, 1934. —Prohibition of employment of women on underground work in mines of all kinds. The Coal Mines Act, 1925, prohibits the employment of women and boys in any capacity in or about a mine. Convention No. 47, 1935.—Reduction of hours of work to forty a week. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitratiqn Act, 1936, and the Factories Act, 1936, cover the position.

Convention No. 49, 1935. —Reduction of hours of work in glass-bottle tvorks.

Tlie 40-hour week is operating in New Zealand.

Convention No. 51, 1936. —Reduction of hours of work on public works. »

The Public Works workers’ agreement, 1936, provides for a 40-hour week, eight per day, time and a-half for overtime, and double rates for Saturday, Sunday, and holidays. ;

Convention No. 53, 1936. —Minimum requirement of professional capacity for masters and officers on board merchant ships. The convention is covered in New Zealand by the Shipping and Seamen Act, 1908, Part 11. Convention No. 61, 1937. —Reduction of hours of work in the textile industry. The principles embodied in the conventions are already in operation in the textile industry by awards of the Court of Arbitration granted under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act, 1936.