THE ARBITRATION COURT AND STRIKES

Hokitika Guardian, 18 October 1928, Page 2

THE ARBITRATION COURT AND STRIKES

(The ‘Mercantile! Gazette)

When employers depart by a hair’s breadth from, the awards of the Arbitration Court they are prosecuted, by tlie Union secretaries, and if convict--, ed a fine follows 1 which is invariably' paid. Should the workers treat that Ward =. with contempt, or refuse to accept- the wage prescribed by the Court, and, in defiance of the award, go on strike, nothing can ho done. It- is. true they may he fined a few shillings, which, as a rule they de not" pay; if they have no property which can legally be taken iry;(execution, the .•'matter -spinls;- as; -Ra|'li<pnpnt has carefully laid'riown: that imprisonment shall not. follow default. !'. Not' ertV.'ld it'be otherwise, ns fhe community would never tolerate a law which sent men 1 to gaol 'because- they refused to accept twelve shillings per day for their labour, when they considered they should receive fifteen. It is, therefore, impossible for the .Arbitration Court to enforce its own awards. In the ordinary tribunals, if a defendant .is .ordered to pay a fine of £lO and costs, he must find the money, or accent the alternative, impiisoument, and to enforce'that order, there is behind the Court all the resources, of the State. It would be physically impossible to imprison vast bodies of men, for the simple reason that no places of confinement could he found for the purpose, and if there were sufficient penal accommodation for them, no law could be passed which would -render decent citizens amenable to such treatment. The Arbitration Act therefore hinds the employers hut has no deterrent effect upon the workers. If the awards cannot he enforced against both parties, of what value are they in preventing industrial tumult when the employees consider themselves as not hound Ip, them. , , A very great number of workers in this country and in Australia are engaged in the secondary and distilbutftig industries, and if any question arises between them and their enjf plovers it is settled, as if the mattereferred to an increase of wages, the demand would (probably he conceded and passed on. The fact that foi many years there has been no serious industrial disturbance in our local industries is not due to the. Arbitration Act, as so far as our researches there never was such a dispute of any importance before the Act came in force. The maritime strike, which started in Australia, is the onlv serious labour ■tfoiilble. ive can remember, and that did not spread to or involve the few secondary industries which were then carried on.

If the Arbitration Court could prevent men engaged in shipping outproduce to London from throwing ur their jobs when it is necessary to load the ships, and it did nothing else of any merit, a justification for its existence would exist, There is no necessiy for any coercion against 90 per cent of our workers, as they can make their own bargains which, when agreed upon, will be carried out; but if some means could be devised which will prevent our wool, butter, cheese and frozen meat /being left upon the wharves, when it should he in the ship’s holds, it is very badly .needed, and when found will be supported by every persons who is interested in the welfare of the Dominion, hut when the time comes it will not he the Arbitration Court which will bring relief.

There is no reason why a mail should refuse to work if the pay offered is not in his opinion sufficient, hut if he declines to accept the job and another man is willing to accept the wage offered, the one. who declined the work has no right to interfere, and it is no concern of his because another has accepted what he has refused. But what happens is, the man who declined takes up the position “I will not work at the wage laid down, nor shall ydu.” That is what is happening iiv Australia to-day, and unless the Union leaders exercise common sense and some ieason, as we hope they will, a very serious position will arise. If the watersiders refuse to register, or are displaced by free labour, the -Unions must accept defeat or involve tlie whole country in industrial turmoil, the end of v.hicii may be the abrogation of the present system.

It is the irony of fate that Die Arbitration Act passed as it was for ihe purpose of fostering peace in industry and terminating strikes, should be the means of bringing the country into anarchy, and possibly creating a labour position which may necessitate the Government drawing upon all its resources before peace is restored. Before these lines appear in print, we hope that the Labour leaders will exercise some check upon the firebrands who would if they were able to play into the hands of Bolshevist Russia, and in doing so plunge .themselves into poverty and inflict untold loss upon the community.