ARBITRATION ACT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14346, 26 October 1910, Page 2

ARBITRATION ACT.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS. (By Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 25. An industrial association of employers and workers, comprising unions in more than one industrial district, may make application for the hearing by a council of conciliation of an industrial dispute relating to two or more industrial districts,, by filing the same in the prescribed form with the commissioner, whose jurisdiction exists within any of those districts. This (clause 7) is one of the most important provisions in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill circulated last night. ft also makes provision for a Dominion award in certain cases. Clause 8 sets out that ‘‘The cOiift may, on tlie application of ally party to an atfard, extend the award so as to join and bind as parties thereto all trade, unions, industrial unions, industrial associations and employers in New Zealand who are connected with or engaged in the same industry as that to which.tho award applies.” It is, however, provided that the court must not act under this section Unless it is satisfied that the conditions of employment or of trade are such as to make it equitable to do 50.”.” The Bill also provides for the election of nominated members of the Court of Aribtration, one provision being that every nomination paper must contain a statement that the candidate is nominated pursuant to a resolution passed at an ordinary meeting of the union, and that notice of the intention to propose a candidate for nomination at that meeting was duly given. The provision is also made that the _ registered name- of an industrial union of workers must clearly indicate the class or classes of workers that may . belong to that union, and in ally case- where the rules of a .union provide for the admission of any class of workers other than registered, the registrar may require the union to bfjfig its rules or name into conformity by altering either the name or tho fines. It is distinctly laid down by the Bill that the registration of a union is limited to the district iu which its members reside, but provision is made for extension where necessary ,and for the registration as a separate union of a majority of the workers in any district in Which a union is registered. When a recommendation of a council of Conciliation is filed with the clerk of awards, together With the notification that no settlement has befell arrived at, the clerk must as sofm as practicable require the parties, if they disagree, to signify their disagreement within one month, and if they So desire to state their reasons for such disagreement. Otherwise any party to the dispute will ho deemed to have con-, curred in the recommendations.: If no notice of disagreement is Served the recommendation of the council of conciliation will operate as an industrial agreement. If any party to the dispute disagrees the dispute will go before tho Arbitration Court for settlement. If, however, it appears to the court that any reason given for disagreement with till! recommendation of the council is trivial or frivolous, it may disregard such. an agreement and the parties so disagreeing will be doomed to have concurred in the recommendation.

Clause 11 sets out that no industrial union of workers shall be entitled to preference of employment for its mem j hers so long as under its rules any member is subject to any retiring fee or fine (other than for misconduct) or to any contribution to the’ funds of tho union other than as Specified by the award or industrial agreement to which the union or association to which the union belongs is a party. When preference of employment is granted to a union of workers the secretary of the union may notify to the employer the tact that a member has left the union. No such notice, however, must be given unless there is then a member ot the union equally qualified to perform tho particular work that is required to bo done and ready and willing to undertake the work, and tho notice must contain a list of the names and addresses of those members. If the ■employer to whom any such notice is sent continues t.o employ the person .in question for more than fourteen days he Will be deemed to have committed a breach of the award. In eases where a contract is entered into for labour only in any industry for which an award or industrial agreement is in force the person doing the work is to be deemed a worker for the purposes of the principal Act, and his principal is to bo deemed to be’ an employer so far as relates to the payment ot wages.. In future, penalties for the breach of an award or agreement are to be recoverable only in the Court of Arbitration. Any such action may be brought, by an inspector (if awards of any party to the award. The defendant to such an action may appeal personally or by a solicitor or by an officer of any association, federation, or union to which’hc may belong. In cases where any application is made for the attachment ol the wages of a .Worker as the. result of an order of the cotlrt the Hill protects the wages of a worker who is married, or is a yidower or widow with children, up to a week or up to £1 a week in respect to other workers. With these liiuitatiotis the Bill provides that when ail order has been made against a worker the employer must pay into court, if the worker’s wages betolne due* a shin sufficient to satisfy tho penalty incurred. In such a case any previous assignment by a worker of his wages \yill be void and of no effect. Another provision is that to the effect that failure to pay any penalty imposed shall not carry with it .the possibility of .imprisonment. The above provisions, however, are not to affect proceedings already commenced. No award of the court must contain any provision that is inconsistent with any statute that makes special provision for any ,of the matters before tho court. A sitting of the* court must bo hold in each of the four centres at least once in every three months.