FARM WORKERS

Southland Times, Issue 21101, 5 June 1930, Page 6

FARM WORKERS

ARBITRATION ACT

, AMENDMENT URGED COMPULSORY CONCILIATION (Per United Press Association.) - Dunedin, June 4. At the Farmers’ Union conference today Mr F. Waite, on behalf of the Clutha branch moved: “That the Arbitration Act be amended in the direction of providing for compulsory conciliation and optional arbitration.” Mr Waite stated that for many years there had been a good deal of dissatisfaction with the operation of the Arbitration Act in New Zealand,' particularly so far as it concerned primary industries. There had been a great deal of objection to being brought under the jurisdiction of the court and this had culminated a few years ago in an attempt to have primary industries excluded from the operation of the Act. Parliament had decided that the best .thing to do was to let the people send a representative to an industrial conference to thresh the matter out. Several attempts had been made to have primary industries absolutely excluded from the operation of the Act, but they had not been successful except in the case of farm labourers, where ■the court had always refused to make an award. He thought they would have to tackle this question from a different angle. The proposal in the remit was to make provision for conciliation, and that arbitration should be optional and not compulsory as at present. He believed that in the old days something in the nature of the Arbitration Court was needed to improve conditions in industry, but times have changed since then. The only people who were sweated to-day were those working on the land. Public opinion would prevent reversion to the conditions prevailing in the old days. Some years ago they had reached the stage that the Arbitration Court was looking round for standards and principles which could be applied to industry. In some industries workers were paid on what they consumed, and not on what they produced. The majority of people working under awards were paid according to what it cost them to live up to a certain standard which had very little relation to the value of their production. The Arbitration Court was attempting to achieve the impossible. It had too much to do and it was interfering in all sorts of details in almost every phase of the community’s life. At present they were not getting rational conciliation. He believed that employers and employees should endeavour to reach decisions without having to go to outside persons to tell them what should be done. Many unions had deregistered and had settled their dispute without the assistance of the Arbitration Court. At present the position was all in favour of the employees. An employer could be penalized, but it was extremely difficult to penalize the men. Everybody knew that the Arbitration Court did not stop strikes. They wanted to encourage conciliation. It should not be possible to refer a dispute to the Arbitration Court unless the majority of those concerned were favourable to such course. Any amount of employers wanted the Arbitration Act because they did not care if costs were increased. In sheltered industries, any increase in costs could be passed on,, but it was impossible for farmers to do that, They must have some system of optional arbitration. They did .not want compulsory arbitration and they could not work their industries under it. The motion, which was seconded by Mr Steel, was carried. Illegal Strikes. Mr Evans moved as follows on behalf of the Crookston branch: “This conference is of the opinion that Labour unions which default by illegal strikes should be immediately deregistered by the Arbitration Court.” The mover stated that at. present unions did not accept responsibility for a strike by a minority of members. Mr Revie seconded the motion which was carried.