EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYED

Otago Witness, Issue 3517, 9 August 1921, Page 45

EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYED

TIIE UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM. CHRISTCHURCH, August 5. To avoid increasing unemployment in Christchurch employers and employees in some industries are aranging "defaults” by workers, in spite of the Arbitration Court award. This statement was made by Mr F. Cooper, the employers’ representative, at the Arbitration Court to-day, with an explanation that he did not think it was quite a proper thing, but it was done out of consideration for the employees, and it was difficult to find an alternative. Mr Justice ..Frazer thought a better plan would be to apply to the Court for on amendment of the award, by consent of both parties. Mr Cooper testified to continuously amicable relations he had with union secretaries, but he said if he approached them with a proposal to amend an award they would immediately suspect something behind it Air R. D. Martin, who was engaged in the case, said union secretaries bad every confidence in Mr Cooper, and they would understand any proposal he put forward Union secretaries understood the position at present —through unemployment —and were allowing holidays' to be taken in extreme cases. His Honor said he was particularly glad to hear of the good relations between the parties, and hoped they would extend throughout the country, lie could not- see how anyone could get an advantage by agreeing to put a proposal for an amendment before the Court, if both sides had agreed to if. The Court, he believed, bad power to accede to this, if it came from both sides. Mr Cooper assured the Court that employers did not want low wages and short time. If there was any class that did not want this it was the employers of labour. His Honor said obviously it was against the employers’ interest, as everyone realised the business of everyone now was to produce all they could to pay their debts.