Strike Penalties Never Enforced

Northern Advocate, 13 September 1947, Page 2

Strike Penalties Never Enforced

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration act since its inception had imposed heavy penalties on strike action. but every Government, from the day the act was established until the present day had not enforced the penalties, said Mr J. Roberts in the Legislative Council yesterday.

The reason for that was that in the end enforcing penalties would create more harm by getting the workers' minds directed against the Government as an enemy of the workers. Mr Roberts said he disagreed with those who said the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill gave workers a legal right to strike.

He said the workers would realise the necessity under the provisions of the bill for them to consider the part they should play in the union movement, and they should not allow unnecessary strikes to take place.

If workers were determined to strike they first had to know the penalties under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, and then they had to have a secret ballot to decide the question.

He agreed that the time had come for a complete overhaul of the industrial laws, which he considered the most important laws of the country. The Arbitration Court had become a court of law and not of arbitration.