WAGES CURTAILMENT

Northern Advocate, 8 April 1931, Page 6

WAGES CURTAILMENT

ALTERATION OF AWARDS PREVIOUS PROCESS CITED. EARLY HEARING EXPECTED. (Per Prese Association.—Copyright.) WELLINGTON, This Day. No procedure has been laid down for reviewing awards with the object of reducing wages in accordance with the provisions in the Finance Bill, but it will probably be the same as was followed in 1922, when, after hearing the representatives of the employers and employees, the Arbitration Court made a general order covering all awards and industrial agreements without waiting for them to expire. The employers combined through their organisation, the New Zealand Employers’ Federation, in a general application to . the Court, and no doubt similar action will be taken at an early date after the Finance Bill reaches the Statute Book. No date can be fixed for the hearing of any application for a general order until the legislation is jiassed. The Arbitration Court has practically (concluded the present Wellington session, and in the ordinary course of events would not be due to sit here again for some months. It is expected, however, that there will be a special fixture to enable an application for a general order to be dealt with in Wellington. No doubt parties to awards will be given reasonable time to prepare their respective eases. The Court is due in the South Island early next month, and with the likelihood of the Legislative Council disposing of the Finance Bill at an early date, it looks as if the general case will be heard at the end- of the present month, or the first week in May, Labour Party Promise. A promise that, if given a majority in Parliament, a Labour Government would repeal the legislation for .wages cut, was given by Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, when speaking at the party’s annual conference. “The cut,’’ said Mr Holland, “has been closured through the House of Representatives by the combined votes of the United and Reform parties. No one will be optimistic enough to expect the Legislative Council to reject the Bill. “Whether the cuts will remain in operation after the end of the present year will depend solely upon the public servants and wage workers generally. They have the matter in their own hands, A Labour Government coming into office will lose no time in repealing wage-reducing legislation.’’ - - — ■jff'