Conciliation and Arbitration.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIII, Issue 7357, 3 November 1898, Page 4

Conciliation and Arbitration.

(fromour own correspondent. )

(by telegraph.)

Wellington, November 2.

The amendments made by the Labor Bills Committee of the Upper House in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill are even more startlingly opposed to any favoring of? unionists than has been hinted. Their tenor may be gathered from a new clause which haß been Inserted to this effect:— The title of the principal Act Is hereby amended by striking out the words "to encourage the formation of industrial unions and associations." Two other new clauses inserted are as follows :—(3) lb shall not be lawful for the Courb by any award to order or declare that members of a trade union shall be employed in preference to non-members, nor to fix any age for the commencement or termination of apprenticeship. (3a) No industrial dispute shall be referred for settlement to a Board by an Industrial Association, Industrial Union, or Trades Union ; and no application shall be made to the Court for the enforcement of any award except in pursuance of a resolution passed by a majority of members present at a meeting specially summoned by notice being posted to each member, stating the nature of the proposal to be submitted to the meeting. Sub-clauses 2 and 3 of clause 4 are struck out. The former of these provided that the Court might direct the employment of unionists in preference to non-unionists, other things being equal, and then the latter provided that where an employer claimed to be justified in employing nonunionists the question should be decided by a tribunal to be specified in the amendment. Another excision is clause 4, which extended section 29 of the principal Acb with a view of preventing employers from dismissing workmen in any dispute, pending reference to the Board, and to preventing the fomentation of grievances by unions. The same fate has been staved off by section 5, which made the discharge of a workman by reason of his membership of a union, or of being entitled to the benefit of an award, and the placing upon the employers the onus of proof of good grounds for such discharge. A further excision is of the sub-clause making it unnecessary to file a duplicate of an award in the Supreme Court prior to the enforcement. The aggregate of penalties and costs payable under any award is fixed at LSOO. The provision for retrospective action and the provisions for the enforcement of the award are eliminated, as are also the clauses authorising the Court of Arbitra- | tion directly to impose a penalty for the [ breach of the award, and the powers given I to grant an order or injunction for or | against the doing of any specified act I until further order of the Courb.