NATIONALIST M.P. AND PENALTIES FOR WORKERS

Grey River Argus, 4 September 1948, Page 7

NATIONALIST M.P. AND PENALTIES FOR WORKERS

P.A. WELLINGTON, September 3. Mr. W. A. Sheat (Nat., Pate'a), in the House to-day, asked the Minister of Mines (Hon. A. McLagan): Whether, in view of his failure to effect a settlement of the Waikato coal strike and the proved inadequacy of last session’s secret ballot legislation, he would forthwith introduce legislation amending the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act by reintroducing the penal provisions of the secret ballot clauses which were included in the original legislation as introduced by the Minister, but which were withdrawn because of objections from the Federation of Labour and the Communist Party ? Mr. Sheat further asked: Whether the Minister of Labour was aware that two youths who were recently convicted of vandalism in New Plymouth, and were prevented from working for the Borough Council as ordered by the Court unless paid award wages and enrolled as union members, have since been working without pay for the Hospital Board, and whether in the opinion of the Crown Law Office this also constitutes a breach of the I.C. & A. Act, and, if so, what action does the Minister propose taking to uphold the law in this matter ?”