COMPENSATION CLAIMS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20870, 9 November 1929, Page 11

COMPENSATION CLAIMS.

CASES' OF INJURED WORKERS,

QUESTION OF RETAINING

SOLICITOR.

DISCUSSED BY OTAGO LABOUR COUNCIL.

Some time was devoted at the monthly meeting of the Otago Labour. Council, incorporating the Local District Council of the New Zealand Alliance of Labour, held in the Trades Hall on Thursday, to a discussion on the question of retaining the services of a solicitor to handle compensation cases on behalf of injured members of affiliated bodies. There was an attendance of 30 delegates, and the president (Sfr W. 6. Baird) presided. It was pointed out that the matter had been under consideration for some time past; and the need for something of the kind had already been voiced by several local unions. During last year the Electrical Workers’ Union communicated with other local unions with the object of having a fund created to meet the cost of legal advice and assistance for injured workers. Although there were 100 unions in the industrial district of Otago and Southland, the membership of most of them was comparatively small; and as a small membership also meant restricted financial resources, it followed that few individual unions could render much assistance to members who were unfortunate enough to meet with injuries in the course o< their employment, particularly in cases where the amount of compensation payable or the facts of the injury were in dispute. In most cases it was found that the injured worker had no means, to enable him to contest a case, unless, perhaps, he was .prepared to get into debt. Few people placed in such a position bared to take that risk unless success were assured. The result was that doubtful cases were seldom contested by workers who did not have the means immediately at hand to enable them to meet the cost of counsel.. It was felt that although few individual unions could bear the cost of securing legal assistance for their injured workers, the whole body of unions functioning in the district could do so collectively, and it was to secure the co-operation of those unions that the Electrical Workers’ Union approached them. Most of the unions received the communication sympathetically, but there were serious difficulties to be overcome - before the plan could be put into operation. It was seen that it would be necessary to establish a central fond for the purpose, and to set up a board representative of all the unions to administer it. Then, as some industries were less dangerous in character than others, the unions covering the ’ safer industries would probably feel that their members would derive little benefit from the fund to which they would be asked to contribute. At that time; as the Trades and Labour Council was not associated with the Alliance of. Labour its membership wan small, and’ its income too meagre to enable it to assist in such a matter. However, after the merger with the Alliance of Labour was effected, the number of its affiliations was substantially increased, and it was then thought that the new council was the proper body to undertake this service. It wae pointed out , that the Waterside Workers’ Federation i and the New -Zealand Workers’ Union retained the services of solicitors to deal 1 with the compensation claims of their ; members, and it was believed that the. Otago Labour Council could operate on the same plan. As both the Waterside ; Workers’ Union and the New Zealand . Workers’ Union were affiliated with the ! council it was hoped that the arrange- • ment under which they were at present* working could be further simplified'; This, of course, would have *to be done 1 . by agreement. Another difficulty fre-;. \ quently encountered was that when the ' i unions did endeavour to help their in?' ' jured members by obtaining legal assist--1 ance_ for them, they could not secure, the | services .of the solicitor they favoured. [ There iVere many insurance companies , operating in the district, and the , majority of solicitors were retained by them. If a union approached a solicitor - about a compensation case be would I first have to discover what particular [ insurance company waa involved before [ he could say that he would undertake | the case. If the company happened to > be one that had retained his services the union would be obliged to seek ass is t--5 ance elsewhere, and it blight have to : employ a man who waa not well versed • in compensation law. If the council 1 retained the services of a solicitor, however, he would have every opportunity j of becoming expert in that- branch of : his. profession, even if at first he were . not experienced. The council decided that the retaining j of legal assistance was a necessary ser- > vice which it was willing to undeitake. ® Before making any definite arrangeI ments, however, it was thought ad vis- , able to refer the matter to the National t Council of the New Zealand Alliance of - Labour for its approval. Individual s members of the National Council had - expressed opinions favourable to the pre- : 3 e ct, but the matter had not been placed j before the council officially. The secres tary was instructed to do this forthwith.