ARBITRATION LAW

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 86, 8 October 1931, Page 12

ARBITRATION LAW

The Finance Minister's statement of the Government's intentions concerning the Arbitration Court was so brief that judgment upon it must be largely suspended until more complete information is given. The Minister stated that many conditions and restrictions in Arbitration Court awards seriously militated agaiijst employment and economic conditions demanded more flexibility. N For tho.purpose of making it possible for employers and employees to arrive at agreements that "will enable costs to bo reduced, and at the same time allow for maximum employment and the fullest development of our . industries, it is proposed to amend the Act mainly on the lines suggested by the 1928 Industrial Conference, tho chief feature of which is known as compulsory eohciiiatioh and voluntary arbitration. As we pointed out yesterday, the 1928 Conference did not make a unanimous recommendation for voluntary arbitration. The Labour representatives declared for maintenance of existing compulsory arbitration. At the time we showed that this system was far from perfect. Conciliation had tended to become an ineffective part of the machinery. Parties were going to the Conciliation Councils to squeeze what they could out of each other with the intention afterwards of taking the dispute, to the. Court to see if anything more could be obtained. This was not true conciliation. Nevertheless we doubted whether abolition of the compulsory arbitration principle was the remedy. It would leave a party willing to make a reasonable agreement at the mercy of an unreasonable party, since an appeal to the Court would be possible only if the unreasonable party agreed. Admittedly the need for greater flexibility is how more pressing than in 1928: Probably many workers would be willing to see more latitude given; for when it comes down to bedrock privileges without a job are not as good as a job without privileges. The subject is one which should be dealt with reasonably on both sides, with the welfare of industry as the objective, for that welfare is the concern of workers as well as employers. It should be possible to devise a system which would permit the fullest measure of freedom to reasonable men and yet afford guarantees against abuse by the unreasonable. ' ■■