N.S.W. LABOUR LAW

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 1 December 1927, Page 5

N.S.W. LABOUR LAW

INDUSTRIAL AMENDMENT BILL PREFERENCE STULTIFIED. ♦ COMMISSIONS POWERS. IBy Cable — Press Assn. — Copyright.) (Received 1, 10.35 a.in.) Sydney, Dec. 1. In the Assembly the Government introduced the Industrial Amendment Bill, which provides tor the appointment of three Commissioners instead of only one as at present and questions at sittings are to be decided by a majority vote. Hembers of the Commission *are to have the same status as Supreme Court Judges. The powers of the Commission in relation to the granting of preference are to be restricted. The Cbrnmission will not be allowed to go beyond the declaration that, in giving employment, preference shall be given to unionists, other things being equal. It will not be possible to direct an employee to join a union in order to obtain employment, or to lay down that engagement of labour shall only be made at a union office. The provisions in the current awards over-riding these provisions are nullified.

Tn the Assembly, speaking on the Industrial Arbitration Amendment Bill, the Hon T. R. Bavin said that at the end of Mr. Piddington’s present contract he would be put on the same footing as the other members of the Commission. The Bill simply meant transferring from the shoulders of a single individual the power with which no single individual should be burdened.