MAKING AWARDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23067, 18 June 1938, Page 17

MAKING AWARDS

COURTS INCONSISTENT! STATE OF CHAOS ALLEGED EMPLOYERS PERTURBED LACK OF UNIFORM POLICY [BT TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] CHTUSTCHURCH. Friday "One of the most astounding and illogical documents which so far has come from either of our present Arbi< tration Courts," is the description applied by the secretary of the Canter* bury Employers' Association, Mr. D. I« Mac Donald. to the Dominion clothing trades award, recently issued by tha Second Court, of which Mr. Justice Hunter is president. Mr. Mac Donald said the First Court had endeavoured to establish a wage basis, and was also reimposing existing conditions in relation to other matters unless very strong evidence was brought by either party in support of a change. The advent of the Second Court had largely nullified this effort, and because of a lack of uniform policy an almost chaotic condition existed. Gambling on Inconsistency "To-day parties in conciliation coun* cil have no clear understanding of tha policy of the Courts on many important issues, and so it cannot be wondered at that union advocates prefer to gambit on the inconsistency of at least one of the Courts rather than make agree* ments in conciliation council," Baid Mr« Mac Donald. Dealing with the new clothing trades award, Mr. Mac Donald said there were 25 clauses. Of these 13 were either of a purely machinery nature or were settled in conciliation council. Of the other 12 clauses the Court had altered 10 materially in favour of the union and left two as they were set out in the old award. Calamity lor Industry In the new award clauses which had been agreed upon by the parties for more than 20 years, and which were included in the 1937 award by Mr. Justice Page, had been altered to the disadvantage of the employer without one shred of evidence being produced by the advocate for the workers' union. "While in accordance with the only policy which the Second Court seems to have—to increase wages and further restrict industry—some increase in wages was to be expected, the substantial increase granted to women will be calamitous for the industry, and possibly for the workers who depend on it for their livelihood," he added. Industry's Ability to Pay,

"There is much more in the award to leave employers both dissatisfied and perturbed. Take, for example, the astounding implication in one paragraph of the memorandum that the Court cannot be' concerned with the ability of an industry to pay. This will come as a rude shock to many New Zealand manufacturers who are struggling to maintain and build upi productive industries in face of strong overseas competition. "They know now where they 6tandj at least in so far as the Second Court of Arbitration is concerned. Pronounce* ments of the Court have always girea some recognition to the condition or thd industry named."