OVERHAUL NEEDED

Chronicle (Levin), 8 January 1947, Page 5

OVERHAUL NEEDED

(Special Australian Correspondent. )

Federal Arbitration System UKEUHOOD OF AMENDMENT

liec eLvecl Tuesday,. 8.5ff p.m. SY.LX\EY, Jan, 7, After being exposecl i'or over a year to an rntense battering: by themilitant unions it appears that at last the Commoiiwealtli eon-eilia-tion and arbitration machinery ia scheduled for a comx>lete overliaid. it is tipped in Canberra that the Federals (rovernment ivili introduce redrat'ting and amendiiig legislation when Parliament meetsnext month. This is included in the legislative progTamme -which officials are now preparing Toi Ministerial and Cabinet approval Such a course of aetion is. patently overdne. The amendments will presumably be directed at expoditingy simpli'l'ying and reducing the cost of approaches to indiistrial tribunals and to- encouraging coneiTiation in indiistrial disputes. The present ponderous system nmst aeeept nnieh' of the blame for the unrest in industry. In the long run the arbitration system as operated here has been effieient, but it is hard to ])rove this to the i IIinformed rank and dile worker who sees the courts deliberating for months over apparently simple issues while militant leftist nniou officials preach to him the virtues of direet aetion. A ease in point is the eourt handling the 40-hour week case. A year ago the unions were threatening a generai strike in order to f'oree the beneftts of the 40-hour week. The full Arbitration Court agreed to consider tlu. case and to widen the application of one union to provide a generai lest of the praetieability of the 40-liour week. For months that case has been ploughing on. AVitness after witness has been lieard and a solntion seems no nearer. There is no completo justificalion for the use of the weapon of diroct aetion, but the worker has some grounds for becoming impatient with 'a tribunal which deiliberates for a 1'ull year or more before making a pronoimeemcnt. The next five weeks will see a series of conferences aimed at improving the arbitration machinery. During bi'ief discussions last week with the leaders of the Australian rouncil of Trade Unions, AIt Fhiflcy made a guard ed reference to a fiovernment Rill to streamline the working of the tribunals. Happenings during that conference indicated that in future the Prime jrinister miglit discard the advice of the Uoiincil in favour of that of the newly-formed Tnd'ustrial Disputes Uommittoe of the

Failtour Party Exeentive. In stating latei* that lie would soon be in position to plaee pi'Ofiosals before the kev organisations with tlie Tjabonr movement, .\fr. Uhifley referred to tlie Indiistrial Committee and also the independont AYestern Australian Trndes and Lahour Couneil and the Australian Workers' Union as ivell as the Australasian Uonncil of Trade Unions. This'is one of the dev.elopments which epuldi liioan ,-the Ay|tii«ning of the breach •- bet'woen political •md indiistrial labour. Mr. Cliifle.v hirnself is by no means convinced lliat the Arbitration Court eannot deal with all legal disputes and Ihe very deeision to amend the Arliitralion Act is a retreat from an expressed poliey which must be distasteful to him.