INDUSTRIAL LAW

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 90, 10 January 1935, Page 10

INDUSTRIAL LAW

Move For Reversion A national movement within the next few weeks to request the Government to amend the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act so as to re-' vive compulsory arbitration is forecast by an official of the Trades and Labour Council. Before the * amendment of 1932 matters in dispute which a conciliation counpil could not agree upon could be referred to the Arbitration Court at the wish of one side, but the amendment allowed some of the assessors to prevent the reference of a dispute to the court. At present, if a settlement of an industrial dispute is not arrived at in the Conciliation Council, the dispute, according to section 7, “shall be referred to the court for settlement if the following conditions are complied with, but not otherwise, namely: (a) In the case of a dispute to which section forty-one of the principal Act applies—(l) where there are four as-

sessors on each side, if at least three of the assessors on each side vote in - favour of a proposal that the dispute be so referred; (2) where there are Jess than four assessors on each side, if all the assessors vote in favour of a proposal that the dispute be so referred. (b) In the case of a dispute to which section fifty-eight (affecting two or more districts) of the principal Act applies—(l) where there are six or more assessors on each side, if at least five of the assessors on each side vote in favour of a proposal that the dispute be so referred; (2) where there are less than six assessors on each side, if all the assessors vote in favour of a proposal that the dispute be so referred.” In tlie; case of women workers the provision for compulsory arbitration in the event of a disagreement before the Conciliation Council is still in existence.