Attitude to Strikes

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 63, 1 April 1937, Page 5

Attitude to Strikes

-Press Aasoolation.1

THE LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE Personnel of Court And Basic Wage VIEWPOINT DEFINED

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, This Day. The official attitude of the New Zealand Labour Party toward compulsory arbitration, the present personnel of the Court of Arbitration, the legality of strikes, and the basic wage was declared by the annual conference of the party last night. A special committee reported that it had considered between 70 and . 80 remi,ts from industrial organisations and branches of the party. Seventeen of these dealt with the Industrial Oonciliation and Arbitration Act. The committee expressed the opinion that it was not advisable at present to xecommend to the Government the abolition of compulsory arbitration in New Zealand. It recommended, however, that the administration of the Trade tlnions Act be brought under the control of the Minister of Labour, and that the Government amend the Labour Disputes Investigation Act so as to enable this Act to be utilised in the settlement of ordinary industrial disputes and to give power to the assessors to add parties to the disputes, Concerning the personnel of the Court of Arbitration, about which there had been several remits, the coinmitte re*. ported that it had no recommendation' to make. Legality of Strikes "Under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act a union may legally strike when it is negotiating for an industrinl agrepm-ce' after a ballot of tue wirkors has been takeu by tho regis liar oi i cu.itiial uritms," statod t'"i» c imiuittce in referring to remits on :he legality of ftrikes. , "The eomirktee is of the however, that when a union is tegistered under che LC. and A. Act and applies for an award or agreOment, once that agietment is made or awaTd given by the OoUTt of Arbitration some penalty must be maintained to compel the employers and woikera to observe its terms. If we were to abolish all penalties under a system ojl compulsory arbitration, it would no doubt apply to the empPwers of labour as well as to the woiTers, and there would be no means by which we eouIH compel the parties to cbscive the terms of an award or an mduptrial agreement. " Number s of remits were forwarded expressing dissatisfaction With the basic wage awarded by the Court of Arbitration. The committee agrees that the basic wage awarded is most unsatisfactory. We consider, however, that sufficient data is not available to ascertain with any degree of accuracy the wage that would be necessary to maintain a family of five people in a fair standard of life. ''We therefore reeommend to the Government that, as the Court of Arbitration is at present very far behind with its work, and would be further delayed by taking evidenct in connection with the basic wage argument, the Department of Labour be asked to collecfc informatioD concerning the priCes of commodities neceissary to maintain a family, and that this information be made available at any time when the question of the basic wage is being considered by the Court of Arbitration. "Pecuniary Gain" Oiause Reporting on remits calling for the | elimination of the "pecuniary gain" ! clause of the I.C. and A. Act, the com- ! raittee said that the Minister of Laj bour, Hon. H. T. Armstrong had advisj e.ci that it was his int^ntion to bring | under the scope of the 1,0. and A. Act ' several classes of workers who up to ' rlie present time had been deprived of the benefits of this legislation. The ! classes of workei,'S suggested were in- ' surance canvassers, commission agents, : club employees, so-called contraetors vko operated taxis for hire, and other ; eiitractors where the nature of their i-ontract was substantially one involviug the personal services of the cooi ractor. The committee recommended that this legislation be enacted as early as X-iossible, and further recommended to the Government that provision be made in some Act of Parliament lixing wageis, conditions of employment and holiday payments for domestic service and also for workers employed in public and private institutions. The committee recommended that the Government be asked to give eonsidevation to the question of making legislative provision for the payment for annual holidays, and statutory holidays to all workers, and where it is considered that payment for annual holidays or payment for statutory holidays was impracticable owing to the very casual nature qf the employment or the sh'ort duration of jobs, provision be made for the payment of a higher houriy or daily wage to compensate these workers for payment for holidays. The committee 's recoininendat'ons wero adopted.