POWER OF UNIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22412, 7 May 1936, Page 14

POWER OF UNIONS

i AMENDING LEGISLATION MORE PEOPLE AFFECTED Engagement restriction ✓ (the position of clerks Although the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1925, permits a society of not less than 15 workers associated with a particular industry or related industries to register as an industrial union, the amendments before the House of Representatives give this provision wider significance by introducing the principle of the restriction of employment in industries covered by awards exclusively to members of unions. As a result of such restriction application' has already been made or is proposed for the registration of unions covering industries that hitherto did not possess unions and are not covered bv awards, the intention obviously being to obtain awards. In Christchurch a meeting of domestics has decided to form a South Island Union, but so far as can be gathered no move havo been made in Auckland to form a, domestic workers' union. Trade union officials state that no consideration has yet been given to the question. Existing legislation has debarred domestics from applying to the Arbitration Court under a clause which restricted the operation of awards and industrial agreements to workers employed for pecuniary gain, but the amending bill provides that the only workers now outside the scope of the Act are those employed by any charitable or religious organisation in any industry carried on otherwiso than for pecuniary gaiiv.

■ A Clerks' Union "the report published yesterday that" application has already been made in Wellington for the formation . of a clerks' union emphasises the question whether such a union will be entitled to embrace all branches of the clerical profession, such as banking, shipping or insurance, or whether some will be considered to be separate industries, rot related under the Act, and thus entitled to separate unions. Where there is no union in existence, a state of affairs that has applied to the clerical branch of industry, the first application by a union for registration as a Dominion body has apparently to be accepted by the registrar without option. Tho clause relating to this reads: —""Where application is made for the registration of any society as a Dominion union of employers or as a Dominion union of workers, as tho case may be, in connection Tyith any industry or industries in connection with which there is not, at the time of application, any existing registered union of employers or workers, as the case may be, the society shall be registered on compliance with tho requirements of section five of the principal •Act.",

This section provides that not less than three persons in tho case of employers or 15 in the case of workers associated with any specified industry or related industries may be registered as an industrial union on complying with certain provisions relating to the form of the application. Dominion Unions On the question generally of Dominion unions it is .stated in the amending bill that " nothing in tho principal Act shall hereafter be conetrued to preclude the registration as an industrial union of employers or as an industrial union of workers of any society lawfully associated for the purpose of protecting or furthering the interests of all employers or workers, as the case may be, throughout New Zealand, engaged in or in connection with any specified industry or related industries." The proposed legislation also prorides that when application is made for the registration of any society as a Dominion union of employers or a Dominion union of workers for any industry in respect of which there are one or "more unions of employers _ or workers registered under the principal Act, the registrar shall refuse to register the society as a Dominion union unless he is satisfied that the existing unions or union concur in the application, or that a majority of the members of any existing union are in favour of such registration. Preventing Divisions

While a Dominion union is in existence unions in the same industry or industries may not be registered for any industrial district unless the registrar is satisfied that not less than twothirds of employers or workers in the district to which the application relates are members of the society in respect of which application for registration is made. There is also provision for North Island or South Island ■unions, or for unions to embrace any two or more specified industrial districts, the same conditions relating to Dominion unions applying to them. On registration of a Dominion union tho registration of the other union or unions connected with the industry is automatically cancelled, but awards will continue in force until superseded or otherwise terminated. Under the amending bill there are also restrictions against the registration of new unions of a character that ■would doubtless prevent the splitting ot unions such as has taken place in some instances in recent years following industrial strife. Clause 4 of the amending bill which affects the position states:—"Where at any time after the passing of this Act application is made for the registration of any society (including a trade union) as an industrial union of employers, or as an industrial union of workers, and therp is in the same industrial district an existing union of employers or workers, as the case may be, registered in respect of the same industry (whether or not the maximum number of members of that union is limited by its rules or otherwise), or there is in tho Rame industrial district an existing trade union to which the members of the applicant society could properly_ belong, tho registrar shall refuse to register the applicant society-as au industrial union except with the concurrence of such existing industrial union or tradeunion." Employment of unionists

In tJie clerical profession the position is complicated by reason of tho fact that there are guilds of various sections that are not registered under tho Arbitration Act, but which have served "• as negotiating bodies in securing working conditions for their members. The clauses of the bill relating to 1 employment of unionists are stringent. it will not be lawful for an employer "* bound by an award to employ a person one month after the passing of the Act in an industry to which an award t relates who is not a member of the - particular union. The only qualification i is that whore a union fixes a maximum j membership a non-unionist may bo ,-r employed, but only where there are no *£ members of tho union competent to **• perform the particular work ready to Jindertako it.