INDUSTRIAL AWARDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23183, 1 November 1938, Page 12

INDUSTRIAL AWARDS

PROPOSED CONFERENCE it NO ACTION BY MINISTER MATTER FOR FEDERATION A denial was made hist njght by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, of a report circulated in Auckland yesterday that he intended to call a conference of trades union representatives to discuss the issue of industrial awards by the Arbitration Court. "The thing is too stupid for words," the Minister said. "No one has asked me for a conference. I understand the Federation of Labour will be calling one. That is the proper organisation to call such a conference." Complaint has been made that there has been undue delay in the issue of awards. It lias been pointed out by union officials that the number of unions and awards has been greatly increased, with the result that the Court has been required to handle a very much larger amount of work.

NO WORKERS' MEMBER SECOND ARBITRATION 1 COURT [by TELEGRAPH- —PRESS CHRISTCHURCH, Monday

The Second Court of Arbitration was one short of its normal personnel when it sat to make fixtures to-day. Mr. A. \V. Croskery, who resigned from the position of workers' representative on the Court, has not b«en replaced and consequently only Mr. V. Duff, the_ employers' representative, was associated with Mr. Justice Hunter. Mr. Justice Hunter pointed out that the Court was properly constituted by a Judge and one nominated member. Nevertheless, it was considered impracticable to proceed with the hearing of industrial disputes in the absence of •a workers' representative, although the position was different regarding ■workers' compensation cases. The Court considered that even in those cases the parties should not be required to proceed before the Court, as at present constituted, without their full concurrence. The Court would, however, be glad to proceed with the hearing of those cases where the parties so desired, and also undisputed industrial matters. It had to.be remembered, he added, that the period for which the Court was appointed expired on November 22..