EMPLOYERS’ LIABILITY BILL

Wairoa Bell, Volume IV, Issue 160, 26 August 1892, Page 2

EMPLOYERS’ LIABILITY BILL

The House has been into Committee on this Bill. On consideration of Clause 5, Mr Fish entered a vigorous protest against the proposal to make the employer liable for injuries sustained by men working for a contractor or sub-contractor by reason of any defect in building appliances provided by the employers. The Minister for Labour stated that the employer would only be liable where negligence was proved on his part, and that the object of the proviso was to cover the possibility of employers letting contracts to ‘ men of straw.’ The proposal made by Mr Fish to strike out this clause was negatived by 43 to 15. Mr Fish took serious objection to the final clause, which provides that workmen injured through the negligent act of another workman employed in or about the same place shall have a remedy against the employer or workman whose negligence caused the injury. The Minister explained that the House of Lords was responsible for this clause, and urged that employees the same position as before, except that they were not to be allowed to set up the defence of ‘ common employment,’ except where both men were in the same employ. The motion to strike i u> the clause was negatived on the voices and the Bill was reported for the third time and passed.