MAIN OBJECTS

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20774, 6 April 1939, Page 8

MAIN OBJECTS

INDUSTRIAL COUNCIL SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTE AVOIDING FRICTION (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Wednesday The investigation of industrial disputes; the collection of information regarding the working of industrial legislation and inquiry into matters' referred to it by either the workers or employers are to be the chief functions of the proposed New Zealand National Industrial Council of Labour, the preliminary steps for the establishment of which have already been taken. The proposed constitution, issued by a joint sub-committee of members of the Federation of Labour and the New Zealand Employers’ Federation, was approved to-dav by the annual conference of the New Zealand Federation of Labour, stated a report of the conference supplied to the press. In a statement accompanying the proposed constitution, the sub-com-mittee points out that, although it is inadvisable to limit the functions of the council, care will be needed to avoid interference with the functions of institutions already established, as, for instance, the disputes committees set up under awards or industrial agreements. It should be made quite clear that the intentions of the respective federations were that tiie council should not be regarded as in any way a substitute for or an appeal from the Court of Arbitration. A Useful Function The council could perform a useful function in investigating any major industrial dispute which threatened the peace of one or more industries. The suggestion was made that the federations should pledge themselves to endeavour to secure the reference of such disputes to the council and the carrying on of work under the status quo until the council should have completed its inquiries and made its recommendations. With those safeguards, it was felt that the council, once established as a purely voluntary organisation representative of the two federations, should be left free to deal with any matter referred to it by either federation or by resolution of its own members. Proposed Constitution The committee considered that, instead of councils in the four main centres working in conjunction with the national council, there should be only one national council, with district committees acting - as agents, if those committees were strongly desired by district bodies. It was recommended that each side should be represented by not •more than 10 persons, and that reprosontation should l»c arranged by the respective federations. It was also recommended that the Minister of Labour should be requested to recognise the council as the representative bodv to be consulted on all matters affecting the employers and the workers. and that representations should go to him through the council rather than go direct from other sources.