THE WAGE QUESTION.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20509, 10 January 1935, Page 9

THE WAGE QUESTION.

Does Employers’ Federation Control Situation? A LABOUR VIEW. • “ The Government will give us just! as much as the Employers' Federation | allow them to do; in other words, if , the Employers’ Federation considers . that the present system is satisfactory, I there will be no alteration,” said Mr FT C. Sutcliffe, secretary of the Amalga- j mated Society of Carpenters and 1 Joiners, when commenting on the message from Wellington stating that it was intended to push forward and request the Government for an amendment to the industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, providing for compulsory arbitration. ” I am firm])- convinced that the industrial situation is not being controlled by the Government, but by Mr R. O. Bishop, secretary of the Employers’ Federation,” he added. It uad been known that a move of the kind by Labour had been pending for some time, but the first intimation he had received was when he had read the message in this morning’s paper, said Mr Sutcliffe. “ While I feel sure that there will be a move directed towards the revival of compulsory arbitration, because some of the weaker unions are finding difficulty in arriving at satisfactory agreements, yet I am of the opinion that the Government will give us just as much as the Employers’ Federation allow them to do.” Question Investigated. The Trades and Labour Council had gone into the question some time ago, said Mr W. J. Green (secretary). The matter had been before most of the unions, and during December, when a deputation had waited on the /Prime Minister in Dunedin, Mr Green had been instructed to write stating that the council would lend support to any proposals put before the Prime Minister. In his reply, the Prime Minister had stated that if he could find any cases where employers were “ sweating ” the workers, he would take steps to have the Act amended. The Trades and Labour Council would be holding a meeting next Saturday, and it was possible that the mattei might be discussed then, although, Mr Green said, he had not had anything official to bring up about the matter. Nothing Official. The Wellington message stated that a national move would be made, and probably would be undertaken within the next few weeks.. At the present time, as a result of the 1932 amendment of the Arbitration Act, if a settlement of an industrial dispute is not arrived at in the course of an inquiry before a Council of Conciliation, the dispute, according to section 7, “ shall be referred to the Court for settlement if the following conditions are complied with, but not otherwise, namely: (a) In the case of a dispute to which section 41 of the principal Act applies—(l) Where there are four assessors on each side, if at least three of the assessors on each side vote in favour of a proposal that the dispute be so referred; (2) where there are fewer than four assessors on each side, if all the assessors vote in favour of a proposal that the dispute be so referred, (b) In the case of a dispute to which section 58 (affecting two or more districts) of the principal Act applies—(l) where there are six or more assessors on each side, if at least five of the assessors on each side vote in favour of a proposal that the dispute be so referred; (2) where there are fewer than six assessors on each side, if all the assessors vote in favour of a proposal that the dispute be so referred.” In the case of women workers, the provision for compulsory arbitration in the event of a disagreement before the Conciliation Council is still in existence.