AIMS AND PROVISIONS OF NEW GERMAN LABOUR LAW.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20281, 16 April 1934, Page 6

AIMS AND PROVISIONS OF NEW GERMAN LABOUR LAW.

To-day’s Special Article

A Part of the Social Legislation Framed Under the Hitler Regime.

By

Dr Franz Seldte.

(Labour Minister of the Reich.) BERLIN, March 6. The statute regulating national labour, which will come into force on May 1, is the first serious social legislation to give expression to the fundamental ideals of a world point of view in our new German Reich. 'The emphasis laid on the idea of leadership in the economics of Germany, the elimination of contrasts between classes, under which German economy has broken down, and the emphasis laid on social honour in the conduct of affairs are the national and socialistic foundations upon which this work is raised. \ The person undertaking an enterprise is given the title of leader of the enterprise. That the freedom allowed him shall be turned to good account and that the privileges accorded him shall not lead to any act of despotism on his part are accounted for in the fact that he is amenable to a social Court of Honour, a court now set up probably for the first time in the whole world by this statute.

JN THE FIRST SECTION of this enactment we have consciously countered the now finally eliminated Marxist conflict between classes of society by the community of labour of all employees. In business, we bring the leaders and retainers together. The labour situation has been transformed into one of faith. In future the rights of labour, the rights and duties of all members of the community of labour will be derived, not from contractual terms and conditions put on paper, but from the live idea of fidelity, the fidelity of the leader to his retainers, and of the latter to their leader. The owner of the enterprise or any person charged by him with the responsible management of the business will in future act as leader of the employees. The exclusion of all irresponsible go-betweens will bring and will force the leader and retainers together and will ensure the necessary community of labour and the necessary mutual confidence. In large businesses, this very close community of labour will not be possible. In such cases the statute makes provision for fiduciary intermediaries who, as members of the general working bodies, will assist the leader in a consultative capacity and will, under his direction, constitute a Board of Confidence, thus doing away with policy dictated by selt-interest as has hitherto been usual. Conflicting interests will be a thing of the past; there will be only one interest in common, the business, which provides them with work and with a living. The Board of Confidence is appointed for purposes of co-operation in the regulation of working conditions and will co-operate in the safeguarding of the business and in the settlement of any disputes which may arise. Trustees of Labour.

The institution of trustees of labour, which has fully justified its existence dur-

ing the past months, w'ill be retained. The labour trustees will henceforth be officials of the Reich w’ith all privileges and duties. They w'ill be subject to the supervision of the Labour Ministry of the Reich, from whom, as well as from the Minister of Agriculture of the Reich, they will receive instructions. With a view to maintaining the labour peace, the duties of the trustees have been implicitly .set out in detail in the statute. Social honour will in future constitute the basis of the community of labour. The development of this idea of social honour and the setting up of a special court of honour constitute one of the cores of the statute. A special clause, dealing exhaustively and protectively w r ith the question of notice, has been included w'ith a view to strengthening social obligations in all businesses. Leaders Take an Oath. When this important statute comes into force on May 1, the second anniversary of National Labour, the trusted officials of businesses will for the first time make a solemn oath and declaration before a festive gathering of retainers that they will serve the common weal in a spirit of honourable comradeship for the well-being cf all retainers. Every really capable leader knows that he can only pin success to his banner if he enjoys the confidence of his retainers and can rouse their enthusiasm. Every sensible retainer knows that he can only stand on a firm footing if, in the old German way, he really sets his mind to follow his leader and to keep faith. It is on this ideal that our statute is founded. The terms and conditions of labour must be based, not on internecine conflicts and disputes, not on threats and distrust, but on the co-operation of work founded on mutual respect and on a sense of duty. (N.A.N.A.)