INDUSTRIAL ARBITRATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1384, 9 March 1912, Page 5

INDUSTRIAL ARBITRATION.

NEW SOUTH WALES BILL TO BE GONE ON WITH. By Telegraph—Press Association—CopyrlgW Sydney, March 8. Tho Government intends to proceed with the Industrial Arbitration Bill, notwithstanding the Legislative Council's deletion of the preferenco to unionists clause. None of the vital principles will be sacrificed. The Council's amendments will necessitate, o conference of tho two Houses.''' '' """"•■' i "'" ; ~~™-; ,;;>.; ;; .IN PLACE OP THE WADE ACT. . ;■ The. new.Bill was introduced by Mr. G. jS.;Beeby, and passed by the New South wales Legislative Assembly last year, and ■If passed will repeal tho "industrial Dis-' r, putes Act, 1908 (known as the Wade Act), ■; and its various amendments; nlso the (Clerical Workers' Act, 1910. Before the ; Bill was submitted to Parliament, Mr. Beeby sought for and readily obtained the opinions of the Employers' Federation ind.the Labour representatives on its provisions. Many principles nnd clauses dealing thereon were mntually agreed /upon, and others to which the federation cduld not assent were left over in the hope that the Minister would re-cast them bo as to make tho Bill equitable and'binding equally on both employers end employees. Writing of the preference to unionists' olause, recently deleted by the Legislative Council, a correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald . stated tho employers' case against it as follows:— , ' "The Act contemplates only trades unions; as if tho whole army or workers were unionists; therefore, does not recogniso non-unionists. Following on this, the boards will bo compelled to give 'preference of employment to members of unions' where tho giving of snch preferpnoe' will bo conducive to industrial peace. Employers firmly resist any such power being made mandatory—not in any spirit of antagonism to trades unionism, but because employers must retain the right to employ whomever they choose, unionist or . non-unionist, without discrimination towards either. The only disqualifications for employment should be merit and ability. Preference to unionists would take away all incentive and destroy efficiency of service. A condition precedent to preference is that 'the rule 3 of tho union should allow any person to become a member' of such union on payment of a reasonable entrance fee and reasonable Bub?criptions.' A 'reasonable fee' is not defined. Not so long back a certain union considered j£-10 per man for six men a reasonable entrance fee to their union, and evidence has been tendered where fees woro extracted by members from candidates for the privilege of nomination." .

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