NEW LABOUR LAWS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19044, 18 June 1936, Page 14

NEW LABOUR LAWS

COMPULSORY UNIONISM

PROVISIONS EXPLAINED

The operation of the compulsory unionism provisions of the Government s new industrial legislation were explained oy the secretary of the Canterbury Employers' Association, Mr. D. I. Macdonald. Many inquiries, he :-aid, were Deing made about the effect of these and other provisions of the legislation. The clauses relating to compulsory unionism were that in all future awards the Arbitration Court should include a provision that while the award was in force it should not be lawful for any employer bound by it to employ any adult worker to whom the award related who was not for the time being a member of the union.

On July 8 all existing awards and industrial agreements would be deemed to be amended in such a manner as to -give effect to this provision. For this purpose, an adult worker was. a person over the age of,lß years. In the past, the Arbitration Court drafted a standard t preference clause, which was included with very little alteration in all awards. It was expected that the court would very shortly draft a new clause to give effect to the compulsorv unionism brought into being by section 18 of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act iust passed.

UNIVERSAL APPLICATION "It should be noted that irrespective of whether workers are covered by awards or not, the provisions of the Factories Act and the shops and Offices Act apply to all workers covered by these acts," said Mr. Macdonald.

"In the case of workers covered by these acts, the wages provisions are: — From July 1, the minimum wage payable shall be such rate as is agreed on, ueing not less than 15s in any one week during the first six months of employment, wi.n half-yearly increments on the agreed-on rate of not less than 4s a week until the end of the year; thereafter not less than £2 a week."

"The period of employment in each Act is made retrospective, and the newrates will apply to all workers covered by these acts, whether they began employment before or after July 1. "Even although some workers are no 6 now covered by an award and the basic wage does not apply to them, immediately they do come under awards, the basic wage and compulsory unionism will apply to them."-