Industrial Harmony By Legislation

Chronicle (Levin), 25 June 1949, Page 3

Industrial Harmony By Legislation

/ • . . , WELLINGTON, June 24. . It is the intentioix of the Goverii-' ment to introduce an Industrial Relations Bill iu the eoming session. This was announced by the Minister of ' Labour (Mr. McLagan) today. The Bill will provide for a permanent Industrial Advisory Couneil charged with making reports and recommendations to the Minister on ways and means of improving industrial relations and industrial welfare. The Couneil will be representative 'of employers and workers, but there will also be provision for ineluding other persons either permanently or temporarily in connection with special matters. Mr. McLagan said he was eonvinced of the desirability of having a body on whieh employers and workers would be permanently and continuously associated in joint construetive proposals resting on interests in common. The proposed Couneil could take up such things as safety and health, amenities, advisory joint wo'rkshop committees, various aspects of em-, ployer-worker relationships, profit-shar-ing and incentive schemes, and other matters where joint examination could yield a common understanding and mutually acceptabie recommendations. The Couneil would not have anything to do with the handling of industrial disputes. It would be concerned rather with fostering joint partnership in industrial progress which would reduce oecasions of discontent and misunderstanding. Mr. McLagan stated that provision for .ineluding other persons on the Couneil would enable experts in various matters to be attached to it as oecasion arose. The Couneil would also be serviced by the Department of Labour and Employment in whatever research assistanc.e it might require. Th'e proposed Bill would also provide for special advisory eouneils to be set up for partipular industries and localities i." desirable. It would also authorise the Conciliation Commissioner to call a conference of parties to consider industrial differences where these were causing or likely to cause- a dispute and where the matters in dispute were not speciileally provided for in any award or industrial agreement. The whole of the object of the Bill, said the Minister, was to provide means of consolidating the common ground between employers and workers and oi progressing jointly towards common objectives.