INDUSTRIAL LAW

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23931, 5 October 1939, Page 2

INDUSTRIAL LAW

SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES A CENTRAL TRIBUNAL (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Oct. 4. "This is a very harmless little Bill," said the Minister of Labour (Mr P. C. Webb) when moving the second reading of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill No. 2 in the House of Representatives today. "It contains no new matter," the Minister said. "It is merely a question of clearing up a few anomalies," Mr Webb dealt with the various provisions of the Bill, and said it was suggested that when an industrial dispute was of a national character and the parties were agreeable to its being heard in Wellington this course should be followed to save sending the tribunal to some outlandish place. There was also a blanket clause validating the settlements achieved by the industrial magistrate and some minor clauses.

"Both the Employers' Federation and the New Zealand Federation of Labour have gone into the matter, and the Bill was referred to the Labour Bills Committee and it is generally agreed." the Minister added, "that the clauses are not of a contentious nature." J.'U. I The Bill did not remove the possibility of conspiracy between the assessors for the employers and the employees, said Mr S. G. Holland. That had happend in the past in making waterside awards, for instance, where neither side was directly responsible for the payment of the wages fixed. That should be very carefully watched because it was done at the expense of the public. The Bill did remove certain anomalies, but care . should be taken that further anomalies were not crested Mr Holland quoted a Christchurch case where an agreement made in conciliation and ratified had allowed for shorter hours than were specified in the Shops and Offices Act. One of the problems of the Government was to stabilise costs, said Mr F W. Doidge (Opposition Tauranga). The Government should insist that there were no increases in award wages for the duration of the war. The prices for products would be fixed and unless production costs were fixed there would be chaos. When replying to the debate the Minister said he could not for a moment attempt to influence the Court of Arbitration on the question of the rates of wages. The court took all the factors into consideration on the evidence submitted to it and any attempt on his part to influence the court would be most improper.