NO EVASION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 20 June 1936, Page 6

NO EVASION

NEW INDUSTRIAL LEGISLATION

WARNING BY MINISTER (Bv Tclegraoli—Press -Association) WELLINGTON, This Day. “Those firms and workers who are forming guilds with a view to evading the new inductrial legislation arc merely wasting; time and energy,” said the Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) in an interview. “Unless I am misrepresenting the law,” continued the Minister, “they will find themselves subject to industrial awards. I have received many communications from all parts of New Zealand about the practice of certain firms and some of their employees, with the advice of solicitors, forming guilds in order to evade legislation. They form guilds, then meet and make an agreement which is registered under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act of 1913. It appears on the surface that such agreements are binding and will be exempt from the terms of industrial awards made under the amended Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. I have discussed the matter with my colleagues in Cabinet and I have legislation ready to deal with the situation, so that such agreements made under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act of 1913 will be declared null and void.”